Melody's Shadow
by Lord Belgarion
Summary: Every song needs a listener.  Every band needs a crowd.  Every performance deserves an encore.
1. Oct 1: Robots, Robots, Robots!

"_Um…anyone wanna place bets?" - Beast Boy_

**Robots, Robots, Robots!**

**October 1st**

**Night**

The Tech District of Jump City was a dark, lonely place when night fell. The workers all went home, the streets emptied and the lights in the office buildings and company headquarters clicked off one by one. All save for Gemini Industries. Gemini was a lord among giants, towering even over the skyscrapers around it. Its walls weren't made of glass like its brethren and instead incased itself in plain, dependable stone and concrete. In many ways, it was like a fort in the middle of the district. Its defense technologies were state of the art and armored, robotic security guards roamed the corridors.

Slade's black, orange-faced robots weren't intimidated. They stood on a roof adjoining the building and spun grappling hooks at their sides. As one man, they tossed the hooks and they dug into Gemini's roof. The hooks triggered a motion sensor and a buzzing light flashed on downstairs. The drone on duty saw it immediately and ordered a security guardsman upstairs to check it out. But by the time the guard arrived, Slade's robots had already infiltrated the building. The guard saw the discarded hooks embedded in the edge of the roof and sounded an alert. The main alarm wailed and flashed on every floor. Guardsmen picked up their blasters and secured their armor as they stomped down hallways and heavy, reinforced doors slammed shut throughout the building. The alarm signal traveled through the grid to the police station, and then through another to Titans Tower.

Ten minutes later, the Teen Titans were on the scene. The T-Car and R-Cycle were parked outside and the Titans themselves looked at the giant sheet of metal that had once been the entrance to the main lobby.

"Soooo not cool!" Beast Boy waved his arms. "Who invites you to a party and then locks the door?"

"Doors have never stopped us before." Robin said. He looked over his shoulder. "Think you can take care of it, Cyborg?"

Cyborg smiled. He stepped forward, cracking his neck and knuckles.

"I thought you'd never ask, man! Stand back while I do my thing!"

Cyborg took several measured steps backwards and squared his shoulders. Then, like a track runner snapping forward at the sound of a pistol, he lurched forward faster than his size would have led one to believe possible. He stompedstompedstomped across the front court, his metal boots leaving debits in the concrete. He lowered his head, shouted and slammed his shoulder into the door as hard as he could.

CLLLLAANNNNGGGGG!

Cyborg bounced off the door, reverberating from head to toe. He tried to step back to catch himself, lost his footing and fell on his rear.

"…whoa…" Raven said from the recess of her hood.

"Whoa is right!" Beast Boy agreed. He walked up to the reinforced door that had held fast and ran his hands along the long, dented crease Cyborg's charge had left.

"Friend Cyborg!" Starfire said with concern evident in her voice. "Are you hurt?"

"Ugh…" Cyborg slowly sat up, rubbing his head. "J-just my pride."

He stood up, took a moment to steady himself and examined the door. "There's no way this is steel. I would have been able to break through it." He typed into his forearm sensor. "No way! It's diasteel!"

Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy stared blankly at him.

"Diasteel was created a few years ago by Star Labs when they were contracted to make better holding cells for metahumans" Robin explained. "The inventors won a Nobel Prize last year. They found a way to give steel the hardened properties of diamonds. It's nearly indestructible and just as expensive."

"Only you would know that." Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"I've never seen a solid piece of diasteel this big before." Cyborg said. "It's usually used for small safes and lockboxes. Do you have any idea how much this cost to make?"

"Right now, I don't care." Robin said. "We're getting inside. This might be the hardest substance in the world, but it can't go on forever. Starfire, see if you and Cyborg can find the edge where it connects to the concrete. Maybe we can pull it out."

Stafire and Cyborg went to work. They found the edge of the sheet of diasteel and worked their fingers inside.

"Pull on three." Cyborg said. "One…two…THREE!"

Cyborg and Starfire heaved. Nothing happened at first, but then the concrete adjacent to the sheet of high-class metal cracked and gave way. The diasteel, no longer held in place, swung out like a huge door.

"Good job." Robin congratulated them.

"People can say what they want about us." Beast Boy said. "But do we know how to make an entrance or what?"

The superpowered teens ran and stomped and flew into the building.

"Raven," Robin said. "Any idea what floor the commotion is on?"

Raven brought her hands to her temples. The Titans held their breath as she searched with her mind.

"I sense three or four people, but their minds don't seem to be active." She finally said. "I don't think they're involved in this."

"Probably just some janitors hiding in a closer. Which means the trouble must be robots." Robin surmised. "Cyborg?"

"Way ahead of you." The metal titan said. He typed into his forearm sensor again. "There's a bunch of them all throughout the building. They seem to be concentrated on the thirty third floor, though."

"Of course they are!" Beast Boy groaned. "I swear, it's never…I dunno…the SECOND floor. Ever!"

"If being a hero was easy, everyone would do it." Robin told him. "Titans, go!"

They charged deeper into the building and up a staircase that infinitely doubled back on itself, taking them higher and higher. They had only made it to the tenth floor when they heard a cavalcade of footfalls coming down at them. A dozen or more helmeted guardsman in light blue armor blocked their path. On their chest were the half-circle logo of Gemini Industries.

"Halt!" The lead guardsman ordered them electronically. Then, without waiting for compliance, each guard raised their rifle blasters and fired.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

Raven conjured a black, domed shield of telekinesis over them, protecting them from the energy blasts.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Beast Boy wanted to know.

"I think they're security for the building." Robin said."Great. Mind telling them that we're the good guys?"

"I can't hold this forever…" Raven hummed.

Robin pointed at the door behind them within the dome that lead to the current floor.

"That way!"

Beast Boy tried the knob, but it wouldn't move.

"It's locked!" He said."Then unlock it!" Robin told him.

Starfire shoved the door with an open palm, knocking the door off its hinges and sending it sliding fifty feet into the hallway beyond. The Titans retreated and ran down the tiled, white-walled hallway with doors on either side and long lights above. Beast Boy lagged behind and waited for Raven, the last of them, to take down her shield and follow the rest of the group. He changed into a giant green gorilla, picked up a nearby bench and shoved it into the staircase doorway to slow down the pursuit.

He changed back to his green humanoid form and turned to follow the others when something caught his eye. Through a long window in the nearby wall he saw a medical lab, filled with blinking electronic equipment and a long, flat cot. And then he could have sworn he saw a young girl sitting in the corner with her knees huddles up to her chest. Her eyes were so very blue…

ZAP!

One of the guardsmen shot through an opening between the doorway and the crunched bench. The laser blast ricocheted off the floor near Beast Boy's feet.

"Ack!" He changed into a cheetah, turned and loped off after his friends amidst more laser fire. By the time he caught up, another group of guardsmen had blocked their way.

"They're just robots!" Robin shouted. "Cut through and get to the thirty third floor!" He took out three birdarangs from his belt and formed them together into a short sword. He leapt at the nearest guardsman and cleaved through his the shoulder of his gun arm. Both the limb and the blaster clattered sparking to the floor. He vaulted off the shoulders of the next robot, jumped over the rest of the group and cut down the last one in line before landing and continuing down the hallway.

The guardsmen might have turned to follow, but they had four more Titans to deal with. Starfire flew through them, knocking down two of them as she went by. Cyborg came barreling through next. He palmed two electronic skulls like basketballs and smashed them together. As Raven levitated past, one the of guardsmen aimed with his laser blaster. The gun was suddenly covered with black telekinesis. The weapon floated out of the robot's grasp, spun and shot him point blank in the chest. And Beast Boy…

…ran past the dismembered, sparking parts.

"Aw, man!" He complained as he ran. "Leave some for me next time, will ya!?"

They found another stairway and ascended again. More robots blocked their way, but they fought through and continued upwards.

When they arrived, the thirty third floor of the Gemini Building was a war zone. The light blue Gemini guardsmen fought with Slade's black and orange henchmen. The Titans watched unnoticed from the stairway door.

Beast Boy blinked at the scene.

"Um…anyone wanna place bets?"

"I bet on us." Robin said. "There's no telling how much damage they'll do if we just let them fight it out."

"So what?" Cyborg asked. "We just go wild on any robot that's not me?"

The slits of Robin's eye mask narrowed as he thought.

"Focus on Slade's minions." He said. "Once they're down and we leave, the Gemini robots should go back to normal. Titans, go!"

The thirty third floor of the Gemini Building was a lot different than the tenth floor. It was a wide, open area lined with towering generators and storage lockers and electronic equipment. The opposing robots took cover and took potshots at each other. Laser energy burned through the air.

Starfire flew into the room, throwing glowing green star bolts. One of Slade's robots blasted her from behind and she crash landed to the floor. The robot jumped on her downed form, but Starfire caught him and flung him into a sparking computer server.

Beast Boy grew into a giant stegosaurus and strode ponderously across the room. Cyborg trailed behind him, shooting his sonic cannon and using the dinosaur's armored scales as cover. One of Slade's robots, bolder than the rest, charged up Beast Boy's tail, up his back and stood between his shoulder blades. He took out his laser blaster and aimed for Beast Boy's vulnerable head.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg shouted. He hastily blasted the robot with a blue sonic cannon blast. Beast Boy, who looked over his shoulder at the warning, spied a pair of Gemini guardsmen flanking Cyborg. He flicked his barbed tail at them, nearly tearing them in half as he batted them away.

Raven had disarmed another of Slade's robots, but the minion rushed her with a series of punches and kicks. Raven back stepped, waving black shields into existence to block. She ducked a wide, hooking punch and unleashed a surge of telekinesis into its face. She turned away to find two more robots rushing her. Her eyes glowed gray and wavy blackness covered one of them from head to toe. The black covered robot, against his will, turned and attacked his partner. His partner defended himself and Raven played puppet master as the two of them exchanged punches and kicks.

Robin tossed his sword at two of Slade's robots double-teaming a Gemini Guardsmen. The sword disassembled in midair and three separate birdarangs pinned each one to the wall. More robots targeted him with their energy blasters.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

Robin took out his staff from his belt, extended it with a flourish and spun in a blurring gray circle, deflecting the lasers back and forcing the robots to take cover. Another pair of Slade robots joined together to send a heavy piece of electronic equipment sliding across the floor to flatten the Boy Wonder. Robin peeked over his shoulder at the impending doom and then lifted his staff over his head. Starfire swooped by, grabbed the horizontal weapon and carried him to safety.

One by one they took out Slade's henchmen, trying their best to avoid the Gemini guardsmen. But with no more henchmen to fight, the light blue robots turned on the Titans. They retreated step by step together, under the safety of one of Raven's domed telekinesis shields and found themselves backed into a corner.

"Now what?" Raven growled under the strain of keeping the shield up to deflect the laser fire.

"I know you don't want to trash these things, man!" Cyborg said to Robin. "But they're not giving us much choice, ya know?"

Robin frowned.

"Fine," he said. "Titans-""Enough!" The voice came from out of nowhere. A tall woman with rich gold glasses and an elegant blue suit clapped her hands. "Geminibots! Offline now!"

The Gemini Guardsmen, who a moment ago were bent on destroying anything they saw, lowered their weapons. The yellow glow from beneath their visored helmets faded and disappeared and the robots stood stock still. Raven allowed her shield to dissipate.

"What happened here?" The suited woman demanded of the Titans.

Robin stepped forward with a question of his own.

"Who are you?"

The woman sniffed as if she expected her identity to be universal knowledge.

"I am Maryse Gemini, owner of Gemini Industries." She said obviously. "This is my building and I want to know what's going on!"

"We're not sure ourselves." Robin said. "A group of Slade's robots broke into your building. You've heard of him, right?"

"Of course. He and that wretched girl took over the city some years ago. I lost months of labor."

"We came to take care of them." Robin decided not to comment on that. "But your robots here attacked us."

Maryse Gemini paused to think.

"Perhaps it was an oversight on my part." She pursed her lips. "When they are in guard mode, they are programmed to attack anyone inside the building. I assumed only corporate criminals would be here uninvited."

"Bet that makes working as a janitor here exciting." Beast Boy quipped.

"The building is empty at night." Miss Gemini told him. "Cleaning is done electronically." She turned back to Robin. "I thank you for your help, but I assure you the Gemini Building is equipped to defend itself."

"Do you have any idea what Slade might have wanted here?" Robin asked.

"None whatsoever. However, if it will put your mind at ease, I will take stock of the building in the morning and file a police report. I assume you have access."

"Of course."

"Then I bid you adieu." She turned and walked away from them not waiting for a response. "Geminbots 243 and 244, see them out."

Outside, as the Titans walked back to the parked vehicles and the two Geminibots watched soullessly from the front entrance, Cyborg rubbed his head.

"Is it just me, or did we just get kicked out?"

"Miss Gemini did not seem very grateful for our help." Starfire agreed.

"She's lying." Raven stated then. "I sensed people inside the building. She said it was deserted."

"Can you sense them now?" Robin asked.

Raven took a moment to concentrate, but then she shook her head.

"No…something's wrong. It's like…it's like the entire building doesn't even register to my mental senses."

Beast Boy, who had let himself trail behind, turned to look up at the giant building.

"I'm not sure." He said slowly. "But…I think I saw someone in there. A girl in one of the labs."

"What would a young girl be doing there at night?" Starfire asked.

Robin folded his arms and looked down in thought.

"A lot of things aren't adding up." He said. "But now isn't the time to worry about it. We can talk about it more in the morning when we get the police report. Until then, we should get a good night's sleep."

Robin started up the R-Cycle and Cyborg pulled away in the T-Car. Raven and Starfire took to the air, but

Beast Boy lingered to gaze up at the Gemini Building. He stared as if expecting to see something, but then he shook his head, changed into a green owl and flew away.


	2. Oct 2: Kerplunk!

"_Hate kills. Love kills. Indifference lives for a long, long time." - Jeff_

**Kerplunk!**

**October 2****nd**

**Early Morning**

It was some time after midnight and the darkest hour of the day when a nondescript midrange car cruised through the Waterfront District.. It rode smoothly along the road, the headlights illuminating the old, crumbling warehouses and storage facilities. It drove past an old dumpster, the lights sending half a dozen rats scurrying away. Two men sat in the car, wearing ski caps and the drab, severe garb of dockworkers. The radio was switched off and the interior of the car was silent enough to send a ringing in their ears.

"So who is she, anyway?" The man in the passenger seat asked.

"The girl in the back? Who cares?"

"I dunno." The rider mused, looking out the window. "Seems like the least you can do is learn the name and figure out why you're killing someone."

"Will it make a difference?" The driver grunted. "Since when did you have to know someone to kill'em? I'd kill you if the price was right."

The passenger didn't take offense to that statement.

"I bet you would, Rick.." He said. "But I'm safe. Nobody dislikes me enough to pay for my death."

"No one really gives a damn either."

"Then I'm fine." The passenger said. "Hate kills. Love kills. Indifference lives for a long, long time."

"You're too mouthy, Jeff." Rick told him. "_That_ will get you killed someday."

That only silenced the passenger for about half a minute.

"You don't know anything about her?" He pressed.

"What? I dunno, man. She's just a little girl. What do you want?"

"Not _that little_." Jeff pointed out.

"I prefer my women to have a little seasoning." Rick shrugged. "If you want a skinny skank, you can buy one after we get paid for this."

"As if. I have more important things to buy."

Rick glanced over at him for the first time.

"You'd rather get high than get laid?" He asked.

"Pssh. Don't act so surprised. If it wasn't for people like me, the boss would be out of business."

They had nearly reached their destination. The car climbed up a tall hill and then turned onto the Southern Bay Bridge. They drove out to the center and pulled over to the side.

"Hurry up." Rick said as he and his accomplice stepped out of the car. "Let's do this before anybody comes by."

"It's four in the morning. Nobody's coming."

"We're here, aren't we? Get you ass in gear!"

The two of them walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. Inside was a plain, canvas bag that squirmed and wiggled weakly.

"Damn," Jeff breathed. "The chloroform wore off."

"So? She's already tied up and gagged."

"Yeah, but I was hoping she'd still be out. Drowning is a shitty way to die."

"Every way you die is shitty." Rick pointed out. "Now get over it and help me here."

The two men grabbed opposite sides of the wiggling bag. They could hear muffled sobs coming from inside, but they ignored it.

"On three." Rick said. The two of them swung the bag back and forth. "One…two….go!"

They heaved the bag over the railing of the bridge. It fell in slow motion, looking surreal in the dark night before finally splashing in the murky water.

"That was an easy five hundred bucks." Rick walked back to the car, wiping his hands together in a job well done fashion. "Let's go."

Jeff stayed at the railing a moment longer, and watched until the bubbles stopped coming up and the surface of the water calmed.

"Speak for yourself." He muttered and climbed into the car. "Let's go get high."


	3. Oct 2: Welcome to Jump City

"_The city is a mean place. It doesn't give you anything unless you give something first." - Kelly_

**Welcome To Jump City**

**October 2****nd**

**Morning**

As soon as he stepped off the plane, Jonny knew he had entered into a strange new world. He fought through the airport crowd and surmised that there were enough of them to populate his hometown of Dunningham twice over. He tried to navigate through the crowd as smoothly as he could, but it seemed he couldn't take two steps without bumping into someone. Each time he did he would tip his hat and apologize, and each time he would be completely ignored. He eventually managed to pick up his black canvas bag and guitar case at the luggage station and make his way outside.

It was there that Jonny saw his first trolley. It was long and copper and looked a bit like a train car. It had a floor and roof, but the sides were largely open. There were a few seats and then handles dangling from up top to hold onto. He could see the embedded metal tracks that led into the city. Jonny took a little too much time admiring it and did a double take when it began to pull away without him. He slung his bag over one shoulder, gripped his guitar case tighter and chased after it. He was able to catch it, hop up on the edge and grab a handle with his free hand to balance himself. Jonny was strangely proud of himself and flashed a sheepish smile, but no one in the trolley seemed to even notice his presence.

Jonny gripped tight to the handle and leaned far out from the trolley. It was a position he was used to, but the trolley had the consideration not to buck wildly. He looked down at the asphalt zooming by and the dotted yellow line blurring into a streak. It wasn't long until the trolley car took him into the Tech District and Jonny got his first good look at Jump City.

Jonny had never in his life seen buildings so tall. They were made of shining glass and metal and reached to the very sky. Jonny couldn't help but secure his hat and lean back to gawk at them, even though he knew such a thing would expose him as a tourist. Everything looked so clean and modern and new and fresh. He took in the stop lights and lampposts and the many cars passing by.

The trolley stopped a half a dozen times to let people off, but Jonny was enjoying the ride and opted to stay on. As the ride continued on, the city began to change. The buildings grew shorter, the sidewalks darker and the fences higher. The buildings stopped consisting of metal and glass and instead were made of brick and concrete. Skyscrapers and office buildings gave way to small businesses, fast food restaurants and apartment buildings.

"Last stop before returning to the airport." The conductor's voice buzzed over the intercom system. Jonny looked around and noticed for the first time that the trolley was nearly empty. The car stopped and, feeling he had no choice, Jonny hopped down. He stood there and watched the trolley disappear the way it had come before getting his bearings.

He was in an old neighborhood with the houses packed closed together. No one had anything even resembling a yard and Jonny wondered how they didn't suffocate sandwiched the way they were. A shoulder high, black metal fence skirted the sidewalk, cutting off access to the homes. Jonny couldn't understand why someone would choose to live so close to other people and then go out of their way to keep them at bay, but there were many things in the city he didn't understand.

Jonny didn't know anyone in town or have anywhere to go, so he picked a direction at random and walked down the sidewalk. Back in the Tech District, there would be a random tree planted in a plot beneath the sidewalk every now and then to break up the monotony and add some color. Downtown made no such effort. It was just an endless sea of brick and concrete, dully reflecting the sun and somehow seeming darker for it.

It wasn't long before noon and people were out and about. Jonny got a few long stares from those he passed on the sidewalk, but he tipped his hat and tried to be polite anyway. The prevailing style seemed to be baggy jeans and tee shirts. Jonny figured if he saw them back home, he just might stare, too.

He saw the group long before they noticed him. There were five boys his own age and a cinnamon-skinned Latino girl walking towards him along the sidewalk. Jonny could have easily avoided them, but he honestly saw no reason to. The boy in the lead, wearing shades and a snug black bandana over his head, noticed him and pointed him out to his buddies. The group hurried up their pace to meet him. When they stopped in front of him, Jonny tipped his hat.

"Howdy, ya'll." He said.

The group burst out laughing. One of them leaned on the leaders shoulders as he chuckled.

"Howdy!?" He repeated incredulously. "Man, is this guy for real?"

"Look at this guy." The leader said. "He's like a cowboy pimp! Clint Eastwood or something!"

"Clint Eastwood ain't never rode an eight hundred pound bull." Jonny pointed out.

They ignored him. One of them reached and snatched his hat off his head. The boy put it on and hopped up and down as if he were riding a horse.

"Woohoooo!" He said in a bad, exaggerated southern accent. "Let's rope some doggies! Hahahahah!"

"Hey there!" Jonny said sharply. "Give me back my hat! My mama gave it to me!"

"Awwww!" The girl said mockingly. "Your mommy gave it to you? How sweeeet!"

"And apparently _your_ mama didn't teach you no manners!" Jonny replied, starting to lose his cool.

The group went silent and the laughter stopped. Their faces, once cruelly amused, hardened into serious stares.

"What did you say about my momma?" The girl asked in an intensely quiet voice.

Jonny sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"Look, I don't want no trouble. Give me my hat and I'll just mosey on along."

"You won't be 'moseying' this way." The leader holding his hat said. "This is our neighborhood and we don't want you in it."

"Fine." Jonny agreed shortly. "Just give me my hat back and I'll be on my way."

The boy held out the hat to him. But the moment Jonny reached for it he let it drop to the ground.

"Oops!" He said as blatantly insincerely as possible.

Jonny ground his teeth together and rubbed his forehead. The group of boys and the girl made fun of him some more, but he drowned their voices out. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

_You don't want this, do you, Amber?_

Jonny reached down, picked up his hat and replaced it on his head.

"Ya'll take care." He obligated himself to say with no real conviction whatsoever, though he doubted they heard. He turned and walked back down the sidewalk the way he had come while the kids shouted insults after him. He went over one block, turned and continued in his original direction.

Even after they were out of sight and earshot, Jonny's run-in with the bullies still cankered. His father might as well have been a taskmaster and so he was no stranger to work, but it still hurt his pride that a pack of caterwauling assholes had forced him to take the long way around. Still, Jonny was convinced he had done the right thing. Getting in a fight was no way to start his new city life, especially one where he was outnumbered. There was a time where he would attack and get his ass handed back to him by a hundred men, just to prove that he couldn't be pushed around. But Jonny's life had recently given him new priorities and he knew it would be irresponsible of him to get hurt in a meaningless brawl.

The neighborhood he now walked through looked no different from the other one, but this time he made it through without being accosted. Jonny's feet were starting to get sore inside his boots. He wasn't used to walking on so much hard concrete, but soon enough he found himself in the business sector. There were no more houses, just stores and restaurants. The neighborhoods had been relatively quiet, but the business sector was a bustling, crowded center of commerce with cars crunched together on the roads and people on the sidewalks nearly as deadlocked.

Jonny had two goals: He needed to make some money and find a place to stay. He had a little bit of cash on him, but not enough to last him long. He needed to find some income.

A beggar further down the street made him stop. He was an unshaven man with ragged, dirty clothes. He sat emotionlessly against a brick wall, staring at nothing in particular. A cardboard sign was propped up beside him that had a misspelled form of 'Veteran' written on it in messy black marker. There was an old plastic bowl in front of him and random passersby would sometimes drop coins or a bill inside while most would pass by as if he didn't exist. The beggar didn't react to either outcome.

Jonny couldn't help but feel a little bad. Here he was worrying about his own situation, but the beggar's was far worse. If Jonny failed, he always had a family and home to return to. This guy didn't. Jonny walked up to him with a friendly smile.

"How can I help you, buddy?" He asked.

It took the beggar a moment to realize he was being spoken to. He grunted sourly and pointed wordlessly at his plastic bowl.

"Sorry," Jonny said. "I don't really have any money to give you. I'm kinda hard up myself."

"Then get lost." The beggar growled.

"I was thinking." Jonny tried to pretend he hadn't heard that. "I got this here guitar. If you don't mind I could sit with you and play a bit. It might generate more business, ya know?"The beggar looked at him for the first time, and it was an unsettlingly unfriendly expression.

"Find your own corner." He said.

"C'mon, friend. I'll give you half of whatever I happen to make and-"

"Fuck off!"

Jonny stood there and blinked in stunned silence but the beggar looked away and acted as if he weren't there. Jonny finally regained his composure and shuffled absentmindedly down the street. Jump City wasn't at all like he had expected. He'd heard how it was a new, booming city, ripe with opportunity; a safe place with good, hard-working people. Now he wasn't so sure. He suddenly itched for a cigarette.

Jonny rubbed his shoulder where, under his coat, he knew a nicotine patch was placed. He licked his lips, trying to fight the craving.

"S-Stop him!" A frail voice yelled, cutting through his reverie. "He stole my purse!"

A man ran by him, holding said purse under his arm like a football. He stumbled along the sidewalk, his speed making him bump into anything and everyone he passed.

Jonny pushed his black cattleman's coat out of the way to unlatch the coil of rope attached to his belt. He adjusted the noose, spun it around his head a few times for momentum and let it fly. The circle of rope fell over the fleeing purse snatcher and Jonny pulled it taut around his ankles. The thief's feet came suddenly together and he dropped to the ground like a fallen tree. Jonny rushed him while he was still stunned and had tied his arms and legs together before he could even think about fleeing again or fighting back. Jonny cut away the loose rope with a blade tucked inside his boot and replaced the rest of the coiled rope back on his belt.

"Oh, thank you!" Jonny turned to see an old black woman take back her stolen purse from the crook. "He came out of nowhere!" She said.

"You're welcome." He respectfully took off his hat. "I reckon I was just in the right place at the right time."

"Nonsense!" The old woman shushed him and dug around in her purse. "Here, let me give you a little something for your trouble." She reached out and stuck a twenty dollar bill inside his hat.

"Really," Jonny tried to object. "You don't-"

"Hush now. Let an old lady be grateful, hm?" She smiled, patted his cheek and walked away.

"Mrs. Henderson is a nice lady." A man standing nearby told Jonny. "Thanks again for helping her out." He pulled another twenty out of his wallet and put it in the hat as well.

Jonny blinked down at the money in his hat before having the good sense to take it out and stuff them in his jeans pocket. He put his hat back on and continued on down the street as a glimmer of an idea swam around in his head.

"That was pretty cool what you did back there." It was a dark-skinned girl around his own age with big brown eyes and a pink streak in her black hair just above her left eye. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh," Jonny looked over his shoulder and then rubbed his neck. "Like I was telling the old lady, I was just in the right place at the right time."

"Yeah," the girl said sarcastically. "Because _everyone_ carries rope around with them, right?"

"It's actually a lasso."

"Exactly my point."

Jonny didn't have a good response to that.

"You hungry?" The girl asked then.

Jonny's stomach answered before his mouth could, letting out a wrenching growling. The girl laughed and took him by the hand.

"C'mon," she said. "I know a place just around the corner."

Jonny let himself be dragged along and not long later he found himself in a little, well-lit diner with patched, upholstered seats. They were the only customers there and a greasy-apron'd waiter took their orders almost immediately.

"I'm Kelly." The girl said when he was gone.

"Jonny," he answered and held out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

Kelly looked at his outstretched hand with a weird expression, but then she smiled and shook it.

"You're a polite one, aren't you?"

"Sorry," Jonny was a little embarrassed. "I don't really know how things work in the city yet."

"I kind of guessed you were new here." Kelly said.

Jonny smirked back at her.

"What gave me away?"

The food arrived not long later and Jonny tore into his burger as if he hadn't eaten for days. He was feeling a lot better. His arrival into the city had been a little harsh, but now he'd quickly found a new friend.

"So where are you from?" Kelly asked and sipped soda through a straw.

"A little place in Arizona you've never heard of." Jonny said. "How about you?"

"Metropolis." She said. "I moved out here last year."

"So you've been a city girl all your life?

"Yep. And I bet you've been a cowboy all your life.""Yep. 'Fraid so."

"What are you doing here in the city?" Kelly asked.

"I'm hoping to make some money." Jonny said. "Breaking your back on a ranch doesn't pay well. I need to find a job and a place to stay. I haven't had a lot of luck so far, though. The city's a little rougher than I thought."

He told her then about the airport and the trolley and the neighborhood gang and the beggar.

"I was starting to think I'd made a mistake coming here before I met you." Jonny went on. "I reckon I just had the misfortune of running into a couple of bad apples first, huh?"

"The city is a mean place." Kelly told him seriously. "It doesn't give you anything unless you give something first."

"Yeah, I'm figuring that out quick. But at least it's exciting. I think the leading cause of death back in Dunningham is boredom."

"Tell me," Kelly said. "How did it feel stopping that purse snatcher?"

Jonny wasn't quite ready for that question.

"I dunno." He mused. "I reckon it felt pretty good. It's always nice to help folks out."

"How would you like a job where you could help people everyday?" Kelly asked him. "And a place to stay, too?"

"That'd be great! It damn near sounds too good to be true."

Kelly smiled.

TTTTTTTTTT

Across town in a giant tower shaped like a 'T', the image of Robin frowning reflected off a glowing computer screen. He'd read the information given a dozen times and still didn't believe it.

"I don't buy it." He said finally.

Starfire, who sat on the couch and was randomly flipping through TV channels, let her head fall listlessly back.

"What is it you do not purchase?" She asked.

"This police report on Gemini Industries." Robin gestured at the computer. "It says nothing was stolen during the incident last night. It doesn't make sense. Why would Slade send his robots there for nothing?"

"Perhaps we simply stopped them before they could realize their plan." Starfire suggested.

"Maybe," Robin conceded, but he didn't sound convinced. "If that's not the case, there are only two more possibilities: Either they stole something Gemini doesn't want anyone to know they had or there's something else going on there they don't want us to know about."

"You expect the Gemini of being dirty?"

"I don't know yet." Robin said. "But it warrants a further investigation." He switched off the computer and stood up. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at the library. If I can-"

"Robin!" Starfire stood up to interrupt him. "You promised we could hang together today!"

That stopped Robin in his tracks. He mulled it over in his mind, but then he smiled.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to start the investigation tomorrow."

Starfire smiled back.

Deeper in Titans Tower, Beast Boy paced in front of Raven's closed door. There was a time he would have been afraid to disturb her, but that fear had disappeared as he'd grown to know her over the years. Still, he knew first hand how much Raven cherished her privacy and he tried his best to respect that and give her space.

But this was important. Ever since the fight last night at the Gemini Building, something had gnawed at Beast Boy's mind. He had dreamed all night through of the pale, blue-eyed face of the bald girl he had seen - or thought he'd seen - in the Gemini lab. Something about her stuck with him, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He felt bad for her, thinking how lonely it would be to sit in that stark room all by himself. If the girl really existed, Raven would have felt her when she scanned the building with her mind.

Beast Boy took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited a moment, but he got no response. Normally he would leave her alone, but something made him stay. He was working up the courage to knock again when the door slid open just enough for Raven to peek out. The suddenly movement made Beast Boy jump, but then he got over it.

"What?" Raven asked bluntly.

"I-is it okay if we talk?" Beast Boy put it awkwardly. "I mean…I kinda have to ask you something."

Raven stared coolly back at him.

"We're talking now." She pointed out. "Ask."

"Right. I was just wondering…last night you said you sensed some people at that Gemini place, right?"

Raven didn't reply right away. She lowered her hood to look him full in the face.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Who were they?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean…did you notice anything about them?"

"Not really." Raven said. "The minds I felt were faint. It was most likely that they were asleep."

"Oh…thanks, Raven." Beast Boy shifted his weight to leave her alone.

"But there was one," Raven continued and stopped him. "It felt different from anything I've ever sensed. It was like a blank slate; a mind without memories or cognitive thought."

"Did you feel anything else from her?"

Raven tilted her head.

"You think this is the girl you saw?" She asked.

"I don't know. Do you?"

"No. I couldn't read anything from this mind." Raven eyes looked distant as she spoke. "It was like…being in a pitch dark room and hearing someone breathing. You know they're there, but there's no way to know anything specific about them. I'm sorry."

"I'm worried about her." Beast Boy confided. "She was all alone in the lab, and then that Maryse lady said no one was there…"

"Something is definitely going on." Raven agreed. "I've been meditating on it since this morning and I still can't figure it out. After we left, I could no longer sense the building or anything in it. That's never happened to me before."

Beast Boy nodded slowly, but he had no answers for her.

"Will you let me know if you figure it out?" He asked.

Raven breathed and nodded once. And then the door closed.

TTTTTTTTTT

Star Labs sat on the fringe of Uptown and the Tech District. It was a squat brick building that looked sorely out of place next to the glass and metal monstrosities surging up around it. It was the size of a small warehouse and the casual onlooker had no reason to believe that anything of value could be inside.

In truth, Star Labs was an extensive facility. Instead of going up like the businesses and office buildings around them, Star Labs went down. It was a huge, underground structure that spanned blocks. There were offices and labs and huge testing grounds for dangerous projects.

Cyborg sat on a medical table in the infirmary. Behind him was a chocolate-skinned woman with a short, conservative afro. She wore a green turtleneck and a long white lab coat.

"Thanks again for seeing me on such short notice, Sarah." Cyborg said.

The doctor pulled back a metal plate between his shoulder blades and peered inside.

"No problem." She smiled. "I always have time for my favorite patient."

"I could-"

"Stop fidgeting." Sarah told him. She reached blindly onto a surgical table and grabbed a blowtorch.

"Sorry." Cyborg said. "Anyway, as I was saying, I could fix it myself easily enough, it's just kinda hard to reach back there."

"There doesn't appear to be any structural damage." She said. "Just a couple of busted transistors and some dislodged wires. I can fix you right up."

Sarah's face lit up with blue light as she began work with the blowtorch.

"How did you do this, anyway?" She asked as she worked. "It looks like the result of some kind of trauma."

"Yeah. I kinda ran into a solid sheet of diasteel."

"Diasteel?" Sarah repeated. "You should know better than that. This body of yours is strong, but it's not THAT strong!"

"I didn't know it was diasteel at the time."

"Next time look before you leap." She suggested.

Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mommy." He paused and looked over his shoulder, careful not to move his body. "Do you know someone named Maryse Gemini?"

"Of course I do." She said absently. "She's the owner of Gemini Industries. Everyone knows that. She's been trying to buy out Star Labs for years. She certainly has plenty of money to throw around."

"What's stopping her?" Cyborg wanted to know.

"We have a lot of government contracts and we've bailed the country out more than a few times with a last minute scientific discovery; especially the Metropolis branch. It'd be nice to say that the federal government is repaying favors, but the truth is that they want us working for them and no one else. They find a way to block Miss Gemini every time she attempts a hostile takeover."

"Why does she want Star Labs?"

"She's obsessed with scientific progress." Sarah said. "She's always personally overseeing a dozen impossible projects and probably a lot more not on the books. She's used to getting what she wants and isn't going to let a little thing like ethics or the laws of nature get in the way."

"How do you know all this?"

"A former scientist of hers worked here for a while and was always ranting about her: Dr. Michael Chang." Sarah said. "According to him, he was working on some secret project for her. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but an accident during the procedure permanently collapsed his left lung. He has to wear a respirator for the rest of his life. Gemini denied everything, of course."

"Wait!" Cyborg did a double take. "You mean Professor Chang?"

"I said don't move!" Sarah slapped him on the back of the head, which of course he barely felt. "And yes, I suppose he would be called that now, losing his medical license and all. That's what happens when you try to steal ten ounces of plutonium. Everyone knew he was getting a little crazy, but we never expected him to go that far."

Sarah put aside the blowtorch and closed the metal panel on Cyborg's back.

"There," she smiled. "Good as new."

Cyborg stood up and experimentally rolled his shoulders. Satisfied, he turned back to the doctor.

"Thanks again, Sarah." He paused. "Ya know, it's almost lunch time. Maybe we could go out and get something to eat?"

"Maybe another time. I'm a little busy today."

"R-right."

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head.

Sarah stood there.

Cyborg coughed.

"Bye, Sarah."

"Goodbye, Victor."


	4. Oct 2: What He Said

"_Writers! Always going to the same old well again and again. Where's the creativity?" - Joker_

**What He Said**

**October 2****nd**

**Afternoon**

Jonny's new friend, Kelly, paid for their meal and afterwards led him deeper into Downtown and down into a dark, deserted subway station. Water dripped from the ceiling somewhere and Jonny saw more than a few skittering rats. Soggy green mold covered the walls and the leftover chairs and checking in stations bled rust. Jonny's boots echoed infinitely on the hard concrete floor.

"What happened here?" He asked.

"There was an earthquake ten years go." Kelly told him. "One for the record books, or so I'm told. The city's water supply broke free and flooded the tunnels down here. It took them years to drain it and, when they finally did, they just went ahead and condemned it.""Are you sure?" Jonny said. "Jump City is only ten years old, ain't it?"

"What you know as Jump City is ten years old." Kelly nodded. "But before then, Downtown was a city in itself for over a hundred years. By the time they drained the subway, most of Jump City was built and the trolley and L-track was already put into place. We didn't need a subway anymore."

Jonny just nodded. He stepped forward along the platform and leaned over to look at the tracks below.

"What's your home like?" Kelly asked suddenly.

Jonny peeked over his shoulder at her, but then he went back to examining the tracks.

"Not bad, all things considered." He said. "I grew up on a ranch called Bluestone with my folks and my brother and sister. It was a lot of hard work, but I'm probably better for it."

"Traditional family, huh? I should have known."

Jonny turned and smiled at her.

"Not exactly traditional." He said. "Me, my brother and sister were all adopted."

Kelly stuck her hands deep in her jean pockets, and the pose seemed somehow vulnerable.

"Do you get along with your family?" She asked.

"More or less." Jonny shrugged. "My mom's a saint. My sister Crystal is the smartest girl I've ever known and my brother Tim is a little rowdy, but just a good-natured redneck through and through."

"What about you dad?"

"My dad…" Jonny's voice drifted off. "I don't think me and him ever agreed on anything. It was fine when I was young; he'd just tell me what to do and I had no choice. Once I got older, though, it seems the only thing we can do together is fight. He's the most stubborn, old-fashioned man I ever met."

"That's why you're leaving home to live in the city? To get away from him?"

"Not really." Jonny shook his head. "That's just a bonus, I reckon."

Kelly walked over to stand beside him.

"Then why?"

Jonny opened his mouth to answer, but the deafening sound of a subway train screeching down the tracks drowned him out. He turned to see the long vehicle pulling up to the station. Unlike the rest of the subway station, the car was shiny and new and brightly lit. It slowed to a stop and a pair of double doors opened up for them. Kelly stepped inside and looked back at him.

"Well?" She smirked at him. "What are you waiting for?"

Jonny, who had spent all this time admiring the transport, looked back at her. Then he smiled and happily boarded the train alongside her. Kelly sat down in one of the many empty seats, but Jonny opted to stand. He walked up and down the narrow hallway between the seats, peering into the adjoining cars with a childlike curiosity. He looked around, trying to take in everything.

"I don't have much of a family." Kelly said then. "Just my dad."

"What's he like?" Jonny reached up and rapped his knuckles against the roof of the train, just because he could.

"He's a drunk and a junkie. I don't see him anymore."

Jonny stopped his exploring to give her a sympathetic eye.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said simply.

"It's for the best. I'm better off." She shrugged. "Besides, I have a new father now. More like a mentor, really."

"That's who we're going to see now, ain't it?" Jonny deduced.

"You should sit down." Kelly told him. "Or at least hold on to something.""Why?"

Just then the subway train lurched forward. Jonny lost his balance, took two, desperate stumbling steps and then fell hard on his rear.

Kelly giggled at him.

"That's why." She smiled.

Jonny stood back up and fixed his skewed hat.

"This is my first time on a subway train…" He mumbled with a red face.

"I would have never guessed."

Jonny gave her a sour, exasperated look.

Kelly laughed and retaliated by sticking out her tongue.

Jonny rolled his eyes, smiled and turned away to gaze out the window. He saw nothing but blurring wet walls of mold and concrete, but he didn't care.

"What's this mentor of yours like?" He asked.

"He's kinda hard to get a handle on." Kelly said it carefully. "He's a genius, so it's a little hard to follow his train of thought sometimes. He's got this cold demeanor about him."

"Does he care for you?"

Kelly took some time to think about that before she answered.

"I believe he does, in his own way. He's not really the affectionate type."

Jonny moved away from the window. The rumbling of the train and the shaking beneath his boots was starting to make him feel a little off center. He chose a seat across from Kelly and sat down.

"So what's this job he wants to offer me?" He asked.

"I don't know if he'll offer it to you, but I think he will." Kelly said. "I've never seen a better judge of character. He can read people in just a single glance."

Jonny leaned back and crossed his legs out in front of him at the ankles.

"And what do you think he'll see in me?" He wanted to know.

"Honesty," she told him.

The subway train shot deeper into the darkness.

TTTTTTTTTT

It was late afternoon when Robin and Starfire walked out of the movie theater. While Starfire seemed unaffected, Robin had to blink away the brightness of the sun until his eyes adjusted.

"Truly a bittersweet ending." Starfire commented as they walked by the lines of people waiting to buy tickets and get inside.

"It was stupid." Robin objected. "Getting shot in the head doesn't kill him, but it gives him amnesia? Either he's got regenerative powers or he doesn't. You can't have it both ways."

"Still," Starfire said. "The part in which he leaps onto the helicopter was, as Cyborg would say, quite frosty."

"I could do that." Robin insisted.

Starfire's hand reached out to take his as they walked.

"I am confident that you could." She smiled.

Robin looked down with some surprise at the amber-colored hand in his, but then he grinned boyishly at her. He was about to reply when something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. He turned and his grin wavered and disappeared. Inside a newspaper dispenser, beneath the main headline about a new bill proposed by congress, was a sub story that burned into Robin's brain.

**Batman Has New Robin**

Robin's gloved hand went limp and fell from Starfire's gentle grasp. Then, like a zombie, he opened the glass door and slowly picked up the paper. He brought the newspaper to his face and read the headline again.

"Robin…?" Starfire easily looked over his shoulder and saw the headline. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and led him around to the back of the theater. There was an old bench near the fire door. The two of them sat down and Starfire watched as he read the full article. She said nothing and simply made herself available to him when he was ready.

Robin cleared his throat and shook his head as if trying to shake off the shock. He looked at Starfire, gave her a small, grateful smile and then his face grew long again.

"We've never talked about my life in Gotham, have we?"

Starfire silently shook her head and waited. Robin took in a deep, shuddering breath.

"There was an accident nine years ago." He said somberly. "Both of my parents died."

"I am sorry." Starfire told him.

"Batman's alter ego - who he is without the mask - adopted me and took care of me. He wasn't so great at the emotional stuff, but I had a place to live, food to eat and someone to look out for me. I was grateful."

"But then I found out who he was." Robin went on. "It was only a matter of time, really. Batman tried so hard to keep me a normal kid, but he didn't have a chance. After I'd seen what he did, my imagination went crazy and I wanted to do the same thing. There was no way he could stop it."

"So he embraced it." Robin continued. "He trained me to fight and think on my feet and be a detective. He taught me everything I needed to know. And I became Robin."

"Before then…" Starfire started.

"Before then I was just a regular kid. No cape, no mask, no belt. Just…me." He paused. "I fought alongside Batman for three and a half years in Gotham City. Criminals, terrorists and super villains; we dealt with them all, side by side. I was living every young boy's dream of being a hero. And then…"

"...and then?"

TTTTTTTTTT

"_**It was a night just like any other night. That's what makes it so scary."**_

_Gotham City never saw the sky; not really. There was a kind of perpetual, smoggy haze resting over it, blocking out the stars and dimming the sun. It seemed thick enough to hide the actions of it's citizens from the eye of god, though Gotham City had a new, shadowy idol._

"_**Joker was up to another one of his schemes. Batman and I had stopped him so many times before that it almost seemed routine. Maybe that's why he did what he did."**_

_There was a flapping of capes and Batman and Robin landed on the roof of an old brownstone building. They crept silently through the slushy gravel and peered unseen through a skylight. Down below was a well-lit movie set with badly-drawn backdrops. The Joker could be seen deftly juggling knives in front of a terrified man tied to a chair. A camera was capturing it all and his assorted goons held the sound microphones and lights._

"_**It was a stupid scheme, just like always. He had kidnapped a local celebrity who was the judge of a talent show. He had the reputation of being rude and unimpressed by anything. Joker decided he wanted to make the man laugh on live television. We tracked him down easily enough; the television signal lead us straight to him."**_

_Batman and Robin crashed down through the window and landed amidst a shower of glass. Joker, surprised, lost his concentration on the knives and the blades shot out every which way. One of them impaled the neck of a cardboard cutout of a crowd member. Joker gasped and covered his mouth at the sight._

"_Heheheh!" He giggled. "Hollywood is a cutthroat business, wouldn't you say?"_

"_It's over, Joker." Batman growled._

"_Aw, come on!" Joker rolled his eyes. "That same old line? You should really stop writing your own material. Maybe my writers can come up with some cue cards for you. Oh, boys?"_

_The Joker's thugs abandoned their studio jobs, produced machine guns and fired at the Dynamic Duo._

_RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!_

_Batman and Robin sprinted across the room as bullets zinged by them and ricocheted around their feet. They leaped over an old, tipped over column and took cover behind it. The thugs peppered it with gunfire._

"_Writers," Joker sighed. "Always going to the same old well again and again. Where's the creativity?"_

"_I'll take out the goons." Batman said behind the relative safety of their cover. "You take care of the hostage."_

"_Right!" Robin nodded._

_Batman reached into his utility belt and produced an innocent looking black marble. He reached around the edge of the fallen column and rolled into the center of the room._

_FLASH!_

_The goons grunted and covered their eyes from the flash bomb's effect. The gunfire tapered off and Batman and Robin sprang into action. Batman stood, cocked a batarang over his shoulder and let it fly. It sliced through the air in a perfect loop, knocking guns out of four hands. Robin flipped over the column with a batarang of his own. It slashed through the support of a ceiling spotlight and the giant light fell on a cluster of surprised henchmen. While Batman attacked the remaining unarmed goons, Robin went for the kidnapped man._

"_Don't worry." Robin said to the gagged hostage as his gloved fingers went to work on the ropes binding him to the chair. "We'll get you-oomph!"_

_Robin went rolling across the floor. He stood back up and turned to find Joker wagging a finger at him with one hand and spinning a crowbar with the other._

"_Nu uh uh!" The clown chastised him. "There's no part for you in this picture! Child stars are such a handful, wouldn't you say?"_

_Batman back punched one final thug and walked over to confront him._

"_Give it up, Joker!"_

"_Really?" Joker asked. "You know me well enough now that I always have an ace or two up my sleeve…hah!"_

_He waved his arm in a short, tight arc and tossed a pair of razor-tipped playing cards. Batman and Robin leapt back and the cards stuck in the floor at their feet. It bought the Joker enough time to reach into his purple pants and train a pistol on his kidnapped hostage._

"_You're insane, Joker!" Batman barked. "Let him go!"_

"_Insane?" Joker repeated. "Insane? No, no, no. I'm far from insane, Batsy! I am the possibility that lies inside every single person on the frickin planet! Ha ha ha! Everyone pretends to be something they're not. You must do it all the time when you don't have that mask on. Obeying the rules, being polite, kissing the boss' ass… It's all a sham. You wrap yourself up in order and justice and pretend it's right.""I'm what everyone wants to be!" Joker cackled. "I do what I want, when I want, how I want. I'm the freest man in the world! And everyone….everyone can be me. Everyone has their breaking point. They just need the right push. One day…one moment…one second can change everything forever; make everything you believe in meaningless."_

_He tapped the crowbar to his head. His white face contorted in thought._

"_Okay, Bat-Boy! I'll prove it to you!" He grinned. "Today is your day. This is your moment!"_

_Joker suddenly aimed the pistol at Robin and pulled the trigger…_

…_and a colorful flag came out of the barrel reading 'BANG!'._

_Robin flinched, but then he shook his head._

"_You've got to be kidding me." He was already stepping forward to apprehend him. "You are-"_

"_And this!" Joker crowed and aimed the pistol again. "Is your __**second**__!"_

"_Robin!"_

_BLAM!_

_TTTTTTTTTT_

"My training saved my life." Robin told Starfire. "The shot was aimed for my heart. I dodged just enough to take the bullet in my left shoulder. The Joker got away while Batman carried me back to the Batcave. I still have the scar where Al-…where a friend of ours had to cut out the bullet."

"How awful!" Starfire exclaimed.

"It only took me a couple of weeks to heal." Robin said. "But I think the incident scared Batman. He realized how close I had come to being seriously hurt. He ordered me to turn in the Robin suit and be a regular kid. He wanted to keep me safe."

"And you refused?" It was technically a question, but there was no doubt in Starfire's tone.

"Right." Robin said. "He wanted me to be a kid again, and I couldn't do it. Some masked heroes with alter egos become confused about their identity; they don't know who they really are. For me, I have no doubt. I might have been born with a different name but, deep down at my core, I'm Robin. I wouldn't let Batman take that away from me, so I left."

"And you met me here in Jump City."

Robin nodded.

"Batman tried to make me quit because he didn't want to endanger me. Which is why I don't understand this." He gestured at the newspaper in his hand. "What's changed?"

Starfire didn't have an answer for him.

"Batman doesn't change." Robin said. "That means that if he has a new partner…he must be a better Robin than he had. He must trust him more than he trusts me. You know how competitive I can be. I don't like being second best."

"I do not know what the Batman thinks." Starfire said. "But you will always be the best Robin to me." She cupped his face and lightly kissed his lips.

Robin's face softened and he allowed himself to smile. Then, as the sun lowered closer to the horizon, he hugged her gratefully.


	5. Oct 2: Country Bumpkin

"_How do you almost drown someone with gills?" - Beast Boy_

**Country Bumpkin**

**October 2nd**

**Night**

Raven couldn't concentrate. She wanted to blame it on Beast Boy's earlier intrusion, but she knew that wasn't it. Honestly, she was having trouble focusing before his visit.

Raven's favorite place to meditate was her bedroom in Titans Tower, but sometimes it didn't feel quite right. Raven would begin to feel cramped, as if the walls were closing slowly in on her. The windowless dark would no longer be peaceful and become oppressive to her senses. The nostalgic smell of old books would become musty and her soft, comfortable bed would become lumpy. It was in these moments in which Raven would retreat to her second favorite meditation place: The roof.

Night had fallen by the time Raven stepped outside. The first stars were peeking out of the sky and the western horizon glowed. A cool breeze blew and chilled Raven's skin. Summer was all but over and the death of the year would begin. Raven breathed in the coldness and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. The cool wind and the fresh air seemed to help.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…"

Raven felt herself becoming lighter. She tucked her legs underneath her and rose in the air, though she didn't consciously use her telekinesis to do so. She breathed and relaxed and directed her thoughts inward. One by one she touched each of her emotions and calmed them.

The night sky and the oceans and the roof and Titans Tower and Jump City…all of it melted away into a world of black. Raven walked across the blackness slowly, allowing her mind to unwind. She made a sweeping, upward gesture with both hands. The black earth shook and the Gemini Building sprang up like some stone flower. Raven floated to it, gazing up at it.

"What are you hiding from me?" She muttered under breath.

There was no telling how long Raven stood there, pondering the structure and why it had alluded her senses. But she was startled and her heart leapt into her throat when she saw something inside her mind that wasn't supposed to be there.

The girl floated and bobbed limply through the air. Her skin was deathly pale and her lips were a bloodless blue.

"Help me…" she rasped weakly. "N-now!"

The black, meditative world shattered and fell away like glass and Raven was once again on the roof of Titans Tower with the night sky above her. Her unconscious levitation broke along with it and she fell unceremoniously to the ground. She stood up and shook her head. There was new information in her brain. Almost before she realized what she was doing, she ran to the edge of the roof and looked down at the dark water of the bay.

Raven enwrapped herself in a dark cocoon, disappeared and reappeared in her bedroom below. Then she teleported again and found herself standing in the sand at the base of Titans Tower. She ran down the beach, her feet sinking and churning and her cloak flapping. Raven knew what the dark little lump lying in the sand was long before she got close enough to get a good look.

It was the girl, just as Raven had seen in her mind. Her short, straight black hair was tangled with seaweed, her skin was pale and her lips were tinged blue. She was a slender, petite little thing, even shorter than Raven and her cheeks were oddly puffed out. Her T-shirt and baggy khaki pants clung wetly to her and her wrists and ankles were bound together by gray duct tape.

And she wasn't moving.

Raven quickly fell to her knees, opened the girl's mouth and removed the rag stuffed inside. Raven turned the girl's head to the side and then put her palms one over the other on her chest. She pushed hard again and again. The girl vomited clearly as the water was forcibly pushed from her lungs. With the girl's lungs clear, Raven righted her head again, pinched her nose and created a seal over her mouth with her own. Raven emptied all her breath into the girl, pushed down on her chest to exhale it and repeated it all over again.

The respiratory resuscitation went on for five minutes. Just as Raven began to lose hope, the girl coughed up the last of the bay water and began breathing on her own. Raven felt her weak pulse and then opened her communicator with an electronic click.

"I need help down here." She reported somberly.

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonny was nervous as he felt the subway train slow to a stop. He stood up and paced down the middle aisle of the car. He rolled his neck and unconsciously cracked the knuckles of his hands. Everything was happening so fast. He was confused and anxious but, at the same time, he found excitement in the unknown. This was the adventure he had been longing for since he was a boy.

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked him calmly, lounging across three chairs.

Jonny stopped, a little embarrassed at how obviously antsy he was.

"Fine," he answered. "Just a little high strung, I reckon. I half expect to hear a bell."

Kelly blinked at him.

"…a bell?"

"I ride bulls." Jonny explained. "At least, I used to. They ring a bell before they open the gate."

The subway train came to a halt and the doors opened with a whoosh. Kelly stood up, walked to the closest opened door and turned back to Jonny.

"Are you ready?"

Jonny nodded, swallowed down the lump in his throat, picked up his bag and guitar case and followed her off the train. It was time for his new life to begin. He stepped onto the subway platform and found himself in a cavernous area with curved, supporting columns reaching up and getting lost in the gloom. The whole place gave a dark, archaic feel and Jonny's boots echoed and reverberated. Across the way was another subway train, though this one was obviously intended not to move. The seats inside had been removed and each car was set up as a different, livable room.

"I'm back, Master." Kelly called. "And I've brought a recruit."

A man in a one-eyed mask and insulated suit emerged from the stationary train.

"Is that so?" The cool, calculating voice said from beneath the mask. He turned his head to Jonny. "Come forward, boy, and let me see you."

Kelly took Jonny's bag and guitar case and disappeared with them inside the living quarters. Jonny moved closer and tried not to fidget.

"…howdy." Jonny waved half-heartedly.

The masked man's eye narrowed and looked Jonny up and down.

"Tell me the last lie you told." He said.

Kelly came back out of the train as Jonny looked away guiltily.

"I told my dad I'd miss him."

"Hm," the masked man's curiosity seemed piqued. "You told your father a comforting lie despite the fact you hate him."

"I don't hate my dad." Jonny said immediately."But you don't like him either, do you?"

Jonny answered by saying nothing.

"You're running from something." The masked man surmised. "A recent tragedy, most likely. Either you're trying to hide your grief, or something good happened around the same time to offset it."

"Do I have to explain?" Jonny asked.

"Not as long as I'm right. The specifics aren't important."

"You're right."

"So," the masked man clasped his gloved and gauntleted hands behind his back. "Why are you here?"

"Kelly told me you had a job for me." Jonny said. "Where I could help people."

"Perhaps. Do you have any special skills?"

Jonny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not really." He admitted. "I'm fairly handy with a rope and a guitar and a horse. That's about it."

"That's not nearly enough for my plans."

Jonny's face fell.

"What if I said I could grant you the power you need?" The masked man asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Show him, Kelly." The masked man told her.

Kelly nodded. Nearby was a huge foundation block twice her height and four times as long that must have fallen from the ceiling years and years ago. She bent down, worked her fingers beneath it and tensed her slender body.

Jonny shook his head with a credulous, lopsided smile.

"You've got to be kidding me. There's no way-"

Kelly jerked her body taut from the legs up and the stone block not only rose, but did so easily. Kelly held it over her head, turned to Jonny and gave him a mischievous wink.

"Holy-!" Jonny half-exclaimed in disbelief.

"I assure you." The masked man said. "Kelly's strength is not divine intervention. It's the result of a simple procedure…one that I now offer you."

"I don't even know who you are."

"My name is Slade." The masked man told him. "But you can call me master."

"No, I can't." Jonny said it strongly. "Calling you that would suggest I don't have any free will of my own, don't you think?"

"It is merely a title of respect."

"So is 'sir'." Jonny pointed out.

Slade cocked his head to his side for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well. Sir will do. Now think of what you could do with this power. Together we can change the world. All you have to do is say yes."

Jonny put his hands on his hips and looked down at the ground in thought. He glanced at Kelly, who had long since put down the foundation block and looked at him hopefully. Jonny finally squared his shoulders and faced Slade.

"Yes, sir." He said.

The next thing Jonny knew, he was lying on a flat medical table in one of the subway train cars. He was hooked up to blinking and humming machines. Slade stood over him with Kelly assisting.

"I thought you said this was simple." Jonny said.

"It is. You're in no danger." Slade placed a plastic mask over Jonny's nose and mouth. "Count back from ten."

Jonny made it to eight.

Sometime later, the anesthesia began to wear off. Jonny swam drunkingly back up to a kind of hazy, warbling consciousness. His eyes wouldn't open, but his ears apparently worked.

"He's perfect." He heard Slade say with an echo that never seemed to fade. "You did a fine job finding him."

"Of course I did." It was Kelly's voice. "You told me just what to look for."

Jonny was lost in the beeps of monitors until they spoke again. He couldn't be sure if he was dreaming or not.

"You like him, don't you?" Slade asked.

"I don't know. He's not like anyone I've ever met before."

"Don't grow too attached." Slade told her. "You know what must be done."

"I-" Kelly began, but then she stopped. "His eyelids are fluttering. I think he's waking up."

Jonny felt the mask placed on his face again and, once again, he drifted off into warm oblivion.

TTTTTTTTTT

The girl Raven had found laid on a medical cot in the infirmary of Titans Tower. The steady beeping of the machines around her indicated that she was in stable condition. She had yet to wake up and her chest rose and fell rhythmically. The Teen Titans were gathered around the foot of the bed and spoke lowly to each other to keep from disturbing her.

"She was tied up on the beach." Raven explained. "It's obvious someone tried to drown her. I was able to get the water out of her lungs and get her breathing again."

"It sure was lucky you saw her from the roof." Beast Boy said

Raven didn't reply.

"Will she be all right?" Starfire asked.

"There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage." Cyborg read a readout on a nearby computer. "Her physiology is amazing, though." He stood up and leaned over the bed. He gently opened one of the girl's eyelids and shined a finger light into her eye.

"She's got a kind of hardened shell over her eyes; almost like a second set of eyelids." He said. "And her muscles are denser and tighter than normal."

"Super-strength?" Robin asked.

"I doubt she's anywhere near as strong as me or Starfire." Cyborg said. "But she could whoop your butt in arm wrestling, no problem."

"Thanks." Robin said dryly.

"Her skin is super smooth." Cyborg went on. "It's almost like soft glass. And last but not least-" He pointed at nearly invisible slits on either side of the girl's neck. "She has gills."

"Whoa," Beast Boy blinked.

"Every single one of these changes would help her in the water." Cyborg said. "The shield over the eyes would help her see in water. Her augmented muscles would help her swim and her skin would cut down on water resistance. And I think the gills are self-explanatory. We have a regular Aquagirl on our hands."

"She's an Atlantean?" Robin asked. "Like Aqualad?"

"Nope," Cyborg said. "As far as I can tell, she's one hundred percent human."

"I don't get it." Beast Boy was scratching his head. "How do you almost drown someone with gills?"

"We can wonder about that later." Robin decided. "For now, let's all get a good night's sleep."

"I'll stay with the girl." Raven volunteered.

Everyone filed out of the room to seek their beds, but Robin lingered behind with Raven.

"So," he said speculatively. "You saw her on the beach from the roof of the tower…at night?"

Raven pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"I just find it hard to believe." Robin said neutrally. "You could have just told us you sensed her…but you didn't."

Raven glanced at him and sighed.

"She contacted me." She answered reluctantly. "She must have some form of telepathy."

"Why didn't you just tell us?"

Raven shook her head.

"I don't like anyone inside my mind."

Robin nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay," he said. "Good night, Raven."

"Good night."

Robin quietly left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Raven alone with the unconscious Aquagirl.


	6. Oct 3: Fighter's Melody

"_I don't have time to be messin' around with you guys!" - Jonny_

**Fighter's Melody**

**October 3rd**

**Morning**

When Jonny woke up, he was as toasty and as comfortable as possible. He laid in a soft bed on his side with blankets tucked over his shoulder and beneath his chin. He kept his eyes closed as his mind gently blew away the fog of sleep. A warm body was pressed against his back and a soft hand reached over to slide along his chest. He smiled at the feeling and reached up to grasp the hand with his own.

"G'mornin', Amber." He said sleepily.

"Hm?"

The voice that answered was obviously not Amber's. The remaining drowsiness of sleep was yanked out from underneath Jonny like a carpet. His eyes popped open wide and he jerked away from the warm body next to him, succeeding in falling out of the bed.

Jonny found himself on the floor of one of the stationary train cars made into a bedroom. He looked up to see Kelly sitting on the edge of the bed in a long shirt and smirking at him.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"W-w-w-w-w…" Jonny shook his head, trying to rattle his nonfunctioning brain into something close to coherency. "Y-you and me….we didn't…did we?"

Kelly let out a long, hearty laugh.

"Of course not." She assured him.

Jonny was immediately relieved, but then he took the time to be a little hurt and offended by her reaction.

"The procedure was a success." Kelly went on. "We decided to let you sleep afterwards. We only have two beds, though, so it was either bunk with me or Slade."

Jonny got a quick mental image of lying beside the mysterious masked man and shuddered.

"Heheh…I pick you any day."

"We would have had a bed ready for you." Kelly said. "But we didn't expect to find the second recruit so soon…or that you would agree to the procedure right off the bat."

Kelly paused and looked at him seriously.

"Maybe it's not my place to say it," she began. "But it was crazy for you to agree so fast. It was almost a month before Slade talked me into it. Slade and I are perfect strangers to you. We could have…I dunno…cut out your organs and sold them on the black market for all you knew."

Jonny leaned back on his hands and nodded.

"I know it was crazy." He said. "But it just felt right. I knew I could trust you, Kelly. You wouldn't have let me do something that would hurt me."

Kelly didn't answer right away.

"What about Slade?" She asked him quietly.

"If it was just him asking? Not in a million years." Jonny said. "I mean…I'm sure he's a good guy and all that, but I just know he's too complicated for me to ever understand. I know you're looking out for me."

Kelly shrugged and didn't comment.

"Your bag is over there." She pointed to the corner of the train car. "Let's get dressed and see what you're made of now."

Up until this point, sitting on the floor the way he was, Jonny didn't realize he was clad only in a pair of light blue boxer shorts. He blushed to the roots of his hair and scrambled for his bag. As he quickly pulled on a pair of blue jeans, he looked over at Kelly who was standing in front of a dresser with her back to him. He watched as she pulled her shirt over her head and was met with her smooth, bare back and a pair of snug, satin panties that seemed to only have half the material needed to do their job.

Jonny looked away and finished getting dressed. He pulled on his boots, a checkered, button-down shirt and his ever trusty cowboy hat. He shrugged his shoulders into his long cattleman's coat and clicked his rope into place on his belt.

"Ya know," he said. "That's the best night's sleep I've had in a long time."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Kelly smiled and then pointed. "The bathroom is over there. The toothpaste is in the cabinet."

When Jonny reemerged from the bathroom, he glanced over at Kelly and was relieved to find her fully clothed in black jeans, a white undershirt and a hooded, zippered red jacket. As she went into the bathroom herself, Jonny took the opportunity to look around.

The bed, now made neatly, sat along one wall of the train car. Next to it was a plain, wooden dresser with no decorations or pictures on top of it. In fact, as Jonny looked around, he realized there were no pictures at all. No family. No friends. He frowned at the thought. Kelly was too nice a person to feel that alone.

On a sudden impulse, Jonny picked up and rummaged through his black travel bag. His search produced an 8 x 10, framed photograph of him, his brother and sister and the front porch of his old home back on the ranch. His brother Tim, dark-skinned and broad shouldered, was nearly half a foot taller than Jonny. He was crouched down in the picture, smirking at the camera and posing to show off his muscled biceps. Jonny was stooped down beside him, grinning and holding a smoking cigarette between two fingers. Behind them was Crystal, an Asian girl slightly younger than her two brothers. Her face was contorted goofily, her eyes crossed and her tongue sticking out. She stood straight between her brother and reached out to put bunny ears behind each of their heads.

The picture never failed to make Jonny smile. But now he figured Kelly could use it more than him. She didn't know Tim and Crystal, and she had only know him for a day now, but it was better than nothing. Jonny opened her top drawer and placed it inside. As he slid it shut, his eyes lingered on the cigarette he held in his hand in the photo.

"…"

He went back into his bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He looked at it for a long time, tilting his head and working his tongue inside his mouth.

_You always hated the way these made my lips taste, didn't you, Amber?_

Jonny forced himself to put away the cigarettes and take out a nicotine patch instead. He slapped it on his arm to replace the old one.

A moment later Kelly came out of the bathroom.

"Ready to see what you can do now?" She asked.

"Let's do it." The two of them left the train and went out onto the station platform.

Slade was already out and about. Kelly and Jonny watched as the older, masked man whipped a metal staff around him blindingly fast; so fast that Jonny found it hard to believe the weapon was actually straight as the strikes curved and whirled around Slade's body.

"He's awfully good, ain't he?" Jonny whistled.

"He's the best." Kelly said simply.

Slade slowed down his movements, almost to a crawl. Each step and pivot and technique was performed as methodically as possible Jonny knew he was watching an art studied and practiced for years and years. There was almost a mystical aura surrounding Slade as he performed the kata. When it was over, Jonny found that he had been holding his breath. Slade twirled his staff one last time, clicked an invisible trigger and detracted it to where it was small enough to fit in his pouched belt. He turned and faced Jonny squarely.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

Jonny unconsciously looked down at his hands, and then flipped them to see the other side.

"I feel the same as always." He said.

"We'll see." Slade gestured at the foundation block Kelly had picked up so easily the day before. "Can you lift it?"

Jonny tentatively walked around the block, mentally measuring it. Everything his experience had taught him told him that it was impossible. It would take at least a dozen horses to drag the thing, much less lift it. Still, he had seen Kelly lift if with all her feminine power. Maybe it was possible.

Jonny bent down and worked his fingers beneath the edge of the block. He looked over his shoulder to see Slade and Kelly watching him intently, but then he turned his attention back to the task at hand. He tugged half-heartedly, not in any real attempt, but just to see what he was up against. As he expected, the block didn't move an inch or even acknowledge his presence.

Jonny grit his teeth, set his feet and lifted with all his strength. He strained for the length of ten heartbeats before falling back on his rear in exhaustion. Spots danced in front of his eyes and his head swam.

"Is this some kind of joke?" He complained.

Slade and Kelly weren't laughing. They shared a long look.

"Try again." Slade instructed.

Jonny tried again with the same success. His hands ached and his bones creaked.

"Again." Slade repeated.

"I can't." Jonny panted. "I-"

"Again!" Slade barked. His tone left no room for argument.

Jonny sighed and once again crouched to grip the giant block. He glanced over at Kelly and the look she gave him somehow encouraged him and replenished his determination. Jonny lifted with all he had. The block didn't move, but something still seemed to be happening. A song played inside his head. Wind whipped up from nowhere, flapping his cattleman's coat wildly His cowboy hat was flung off and sent flying.

The stone block began to rise. The wind gathered underneath it in an invisible funnel, lifting it higher and higher. With one last grunt, Jonny sent it flying sky high with remarkable speed. He looked up in amazement at where the block had disappeared into the gloom of the ceiling and then grinned confidently at Slade and Kelly.

"I knew you could do it!" Kelly pumped a fist.

Jonny was about to reply to that when Slade suddenly pointed up.

"Look out!"

Jonny had forgotten about the block. He looked up, did a double take at his impending death and rolled away at the last second to avoid being flattened. The concussion of impact echoed again and again around the station. Kelly walked over to Jonny and pulled him to his feet.

"Are you okay?"

"Thanks to Slade." Jonny said, picking up his fallen cowboy hat and replacing it on his head. "You'd think I'd be smart enough to remember gravity exists."

"I don't get it." Kelly said to Slade. "Why are they affecting him different than me?"

"Wait a second." Jonny interjected. "What are 'they'?"

"Nanomachines." Slade answered him. "Small, microscopic robots designed to enhance the human body. When I injected them into Kelly, the Nanomachines bonded with her muscles, giving her strength and durability. They seem to have effected you differently."

He turned to Kelly.

"Bring me the X-specs, child." Slade told her. She went into one of the subway cars and returned with a pair of dark goggles. Slade typed something into a nearby computer display, put on the goggles and looked closely at Jonny.

"What are those things suppose to do?" Jonny asked.

"They allow me to track the Nanomachines in your body."

The cowboy fidgeted, rocking back and forth on the heels of his boots.

"Well?" He asked.

"The Nanomachines aren't in your muscles." Slade said. "They're in your central nervous system."

Slade paused, lost in thought.

"Use the wind and lift the stone again." Slade instructed him.

Jonny didn't bother physically touching the stone this time. He held out his hands, concentrated and hummed a short tune under his breath. Wind picked up again, but this time it was more tightly controlled. Jonny forced the wind underneath the block, and once again, the giant stone was lifted in the air. Slade watched the spectacle closely through the X-specs and Kelly watched the same readout on the computer monitor.

"Fascinating." Slade breathed. "The Nanomachines are actually leaving your body to gather the wind before coming back to you. They seem to be completely under your control."

He turned to Kelly.

"Go prepare a suit for him." He looked back at Jonny. "You have a lot of training ahead of you. Now, let's see what else these Nanomachines of yours can gather, hm?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Morning sunlight filtered through the window and shined into the infirmary of Titans Tower. The sunshine fell on Aquagirl's face. Her dark eyes blinked open, and then squinted against the light. She looked down and disconnected the wires and suction pads meant to monitor her life signs

Beside her medical bed was Raven, curled up in a chair with her knees drawn to her chest and her cloak wrapped around herself, fast asleep. Aquagirl reached towards her, but she was so weak her arm felt too heavy to lift. She opened her mouth to call to Raven, but nothing came out. Aquagirl swallowed, took a deep breath that caused her chest to ache and tried again.

"Water…" she rasped hoarsely. "I need water."

Her voice wasn't very loud, but Raven was a light sleeper. Her eyes opened and fell immediately on Aquagirl.

"You're awake." She stated.

"Water," Aquagirl repeated through parched lips. "P-please…"

Raven stood up and walked to the small bathroom adjoining the room. She quickly brought back a plastic cup of water. Aquagirl took it from her, gulped greedily and a second later the cup was empty.

"More," Aquagirl asked even before she breathed again. She reached a hand towards the bathroom and closed her eyes in concentration. Water poured from the sink facet and, in gravity-defying fashion, snaked to Aquagirl's outstretched hand. Once it reached her, the water congealed into a ball above her bed and rained down in a steady downpour. Aquagirl's body was soon soaked in water and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Aquagirl, indeed." Raven hummed. Then she spoke to her directly. "How do you feel?"

"Better now." Aquagirl pushed herself up to a sitting position and plucked at her clinging wet medical gown. "My chest hurts, though."

"Understandable. You almost drowned last night."

"Last night…" Aquagirl breathed and her eyes took on a worried, faraway look. "I was tied up. Someone put a rag over my face. And then…they threw me off something and I landed in the water. I-I don't remember anything else."

Aquagirl's eyes widened.

"I don't remember _anything_! M-my name or where I'm from or-or-or-or-" She began to hyperventilate, sucking in air in short, jittery gasps.

"Calm down." Raven told her. "You're safe here."

"But-but-but-but-"

"Calm down!" Raven said it more forcibly. "Working yourself up into a fervor will accomplish nothing."

Aquagirl knew she was right. It took a tremendous amount of effort, but she managed to take in several steady breaths and slow her pounding heart. A moment later she took in a deep, shuddering breath while her lungs groaned in protest. Her hands trembled and her mind raced, but she had control over herself.

"You're Raven of the Teen Titans, aren't you?" She said finally. "Do you know me?"

Raven shook her head.

"This is the first time we've met." She said. "But don't worry. My friends and I will help you regain your memories. I'm going to go talk to them. Stay here and try to get some rest."

Raven quietly left the room, leaving Aquagirl alone. Aquagirl sat there for a moment, but then she swiveled her legs and stood up. She walked into the bathroom and cautiously looked into the mirror.

The face that stared back was a stranger's face. Her skin was a pale, smooth olive color. Her cheekbones were high, her eyes were wide and dark and her nose was small and sharp. Her black hair was cut severely, parted down the middle and ending before reaching her shoulders. Aquagirl brought her hands up to her face, as if to make sure it really belonged to her.

"Who are you?" She whispered.

The girl in the mirror didn't answer.

TTTTTTTTTT

Mornings at the Bluestone Ranch in Dunningham, Arizona were steeped in routine and tradition. The family would rise before the sun while the world was still dark and cool. The men would go out to work while the women retired to the kitchen to make breakfast. Crystal had railed against such sexism numerous times in the past, but on this particular morning she decided to let it slide.

It was just as well her dad didn't let her work with the horses. Crystal had to write an essay on the causes and treatments of Hypovolemia that was due Monday for school and she needed all the extra time she could get. As her mom walked around the kitchen, setting out food and plates and readying the stove, Crystal sat down at the table with her laptop and went to work with a clackclackclacking of the keys.

"Hey, mom." Crystal stopped typing momentarily.

"Yes, dear?"

"How do you spell 'angiotensinogen'?"

"Bless you."

Crystal rolled her eyes and went back to work, but she couldn't seem to concentrate.

"Has Jonny called yet?" She asked.

"No." Her mother's voice sounded worried as she kneaded bread. "Your father told him to call as soon as his plane set down."

"Oh," Crystal said exasperatedly. "_That's_ why he hasn't called."

Crystal's mom stopped what she was doing to give her a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on." Crystal said. "Dad and Jonny refuse to agree on anything! If dad would have said 'take care of yourself' Jonny would have flung himself in front of a bus the first chance he got."

"I'll admit your father and brother disagree sometimes-" her mother began.

"Sometimes?"

Crystal's mother sighed and, seeing the pained look on her face, Crystal regretted bringing up the subject.

"Your brother's at the age where he wants to experience things for himself." Her mother said. "And your father is too old to change. They'll learn to get along again soon enough."

"I hope so." Crystal muttered.

It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with the smell of homemade food. Sunlight poured through the flower-lined windows and Crystal stopped working on her laptop just long enough to set the table. Her father and her brother Tim came plodding inside just as she starting typing again.

"The food smells good, Marie." Crystal's father pecked her mother on the cheek before sitting down at the table. "As always."

"Good thing, too." Tim grinned as he sat down as well. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

"Then you should eat Music." His father said sourly. "That way you could kill two birds with one stone."

"Is that horse still making a fuss, Roy?" Marie asked as she set down a plate of heaping bacon.

"He all but tore up his stall last night." Roy complained. "He's been damn near wild for the last couple of days. I can't figure out what's gotten into him."

Silence. Crystal looked around at her family, but it was obvious none of them were going to state the obvious. She decided to do it herself.

"He misses Jonny." She said.

"Hogwash!" Roy blustered. "Horses don't miss anything but food and water." He eyed Crystal's laptop with thinly veiled disgust. "Do you have to keep that thing at the table?"

Crystal sighed and snapped the computer shut. She stood up and carried it under one arm.

"No wonder Jonny left." She muttered. "I'm gonna go check on Melody."

Crystal left before anyone could think to stop her. She walked deeper into the house to the nursery. The nursery was a brightly colored room lined in pink. Crystal put her computer down on the diaper changing station and leaned over the edge of the crib to look in on a fast asleep baby girl.

The baby was a month old, with soft, chubby pink skin, blue eyes and thin, barely there blonde hair. She slept peacefully, her little chest rising and falling in a lulling manner. Crystal's frustration was washed away as she folded her hands over the top of the crib and laid down her head to watch the baby.

A floorboard creaked behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to see her father standing awkwardly in the doorway, his hands thrust deep into his workman's pants. He rubbed the back of his neck in a familiar gesture.

"I'm sorry you miss your brother, Crystal." Roy said.

Crystal turned her back on him to gaze back at the baby.

"I'm sorry you don't." She replied.

Roy stood in the doorway for a moment longer, but he had nothing to say. He retreated without a word, leaving Crystal alone with the child.

"Don't worry." Crystal whispered. "You'll see Jonny again soon enough."

TTTTTTTTTT

The Teen Titans were eating breakfast in the main room of Titans Tower when Raven walked in. Robin folded and put aside his newspaper to look up at her.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She'll be fine physically." Raven reported. "But it looks like she has amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Starfire gasped.

"I'm afraid so." Raven nodded. "She has no personal memories from before the night she was thrown into the bay."

Cyborg, standing at the stove frying bacon and ignoring Beast Boy's disapproving looks, rubbed his chin.

"It's possible." He said. "The lack of oxygen could have caused brain damage and triggered the amnesia."

"But it shouldn't last long, right?" Beast Boy piped up. "It never does on TV, anyway."

"This isn't TV." Cyborg pointed out. "Some amnesiacs regain their memories in a few days. Others never get them back."

"And everything in between." Raven finished."Right."

Starfire wrung her hands.

"She must be quite frightened and confused." She worried. "I shall go and keep her company!"

Starfire immediately flew from the room in a swoop. Beast Boy scratched his head and looked after her.

"Maybe we should all go?" He suggested.

"Let's not crowd her just yet." Robin decided. "Besides, if Starfire can't comfort her, no one can."

"Heh, true that."

Robin drained his glass of orange juice and stood up.

"Keep me updated on Aquagirl." He said. "In the meantime, I'm going to see what I can find out about Gemini Industries."

As the Boy Wonder cleaned his plate and brought it over to the sink in preparation to leave, Beast Boy pointed at the kitchen table.

"Yo, Cy! Can you give me the newspaper?"

"What for? The comics don't come until tomorrow."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said. "But there should be a political cartoon, right?"

"As if you'd understand it, little man." Cyborg flipped bacon.

"As if anyone would!"

"…good point." Cyborg left the stove to pick up the newspaper. Even in the act of handing it to Beast Boy, he stopped as he glanced down at it. He frowned and turned to the door. "Hey, Robin-"

SWISH!

The double doors had already closed behind him.

TTTTTTTTTT

Down in the secret subway station beneath Jump City, Jonny was starting to get a headache from concentrating. Slade had worked him without stop, trying to find out just what the Nanomachines in the cowboy's central nervous system were capable of. Thus far, Jonny had been able to create and control wind, fire and electricity with a corresponding, musical thought. It seemed the Nanomachines gave him one other power, but it was giving him problems.

Slade stood on a foyer above and behind him. He watched Jonny closely and monitored the Nanomachines on the electronic equipment around him. The masked man's voice was as calm and collected as ever, but his tone suggested he was fascinated with the unforeseen effect of Jonny's Nanomachines.

"Try water again." He ordered.

Jonny sighed and held out his hands. His brow furrowed and he sang:

_Dreaming of water and wine_

_Beside a green meadow I stop for a rest_

_Where a gentle brook winds through the pines!_

Water formed in the air in front of him and rained down in a steady pour, wetting the concrete beneath.

"Control it!" Slade shouted.

Jonny squinted and tensed his shoulders as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Try as he might, he was unable to manipulate the water. He gave up with a huge exhale and the rain stopped as if a giant, invisible bucket of water had emptied.

"I can't." Jonny said. "I can't get a hold of it."

Slade didn't answer immediately. His single visible eye narrowed at the computer screen as he reviewed the data collected.

Jonny rubbed the back of his neck at the silence.

"Maybe if I practice-"

"No amount of practice will help you." Slade cut him off. "You'll never be able to control it. The Nanomachines are capable of extracting the elements needed for water from the air, but once they come together, the water is too heavy for them to hold."

Jonny shrugged.

"I reckon it's useful if I ever wanna water a garden, huh?"

"Still," Slade said. "Control over wind, fire and electricity makes you a formidable force. With the right practice and training, you could change the world."

"Well, ain't you the sweet talker?" Jonny drawled. "Am I blushing?"

"…though it would help if you took this more seriously."

"I am." Jonny said. "Just because I have new abilities doesn't mean I'm any better a person."

"I would think the newfound responsibility would be sobering."

"What new responsibility?" Jonny asked. "The rules of life haven't suddenly changed."

"So you say." Slade paused. "Now that you have these new powers, it's time for you to learn to use them. I can help with that."

Slade snapped his fingers and there was a sudden, echoing stompstompstomping of feet. Jonny watched slack jawed as ten warriors in black and orange and metal flipped over Slade's head and landed on the main platform with him.

"Robots of my own design." Slade introduced them. "Very useful for training purposes, among other things."

Jonny eyed them warily.

"I'm supposed to fight these things?"

"That's the idea." Slade said. "Let's see how your powers fair against moving targets." He snapped his fingers again. "Begin!"

The robots advanced on Jonny at an alarming speed. Jonny hummed under his breath and pointed at the nearest one. Electricity arced from his outstretched finger, leapt through the air and hit one of the robots full in the chest. The robot was blown back and exploded even before he hit the ground.

By then the other robots had nearly reached him. Jonny hummed again and flew just off the ground to the right on a current of wind. He came to a stop to see one of the robots aiming a laser blaster at him. Jonny produced a flaming red fireball in each hand and, with a quick spin, tossed both of them at the would-be sniping robot.

PH-PHOMB!

The first fireball missed him to the right and the second missed to the left. They sailed harmlessly past him and exploded into sparks against the wall of the foyer Slade stood on. Jonny sweat dropped and gulped.

ZAP!

The laser blast slammed into Jonny's left shoulder. The cowboy spun smokingly through the air and landed hard on the concrete.

"Stop!" Slade said from his spectator position and all the robots froze in place.

Jonny slowly…slowly stood back up, flinching and rubbing his shoulder.

"That…hurt." He bit off.

"Of course." Slade told him. "Pain is a good teaching tool. Next time you'll be more careful with your aim."

"Nngh, darn tootin'."

"Again." Slade snapped his fingers.

The robots immediately came back to life. Jonny hummed and gestured with both hands. He sent a burst of gale force winds into the midst of the robots, scattering them and throwing them in all directions. He held his hands palms out and fire billowed and roared out like a flamethrower. It engulfed two robots and melted half of the body of another.

Another robot had recovered from the gust of wind and dove at Jonny from the side. Jonny saw him coming, did a frantic double take and aimed his hands downward. Flames shot down to the floor on either side of him and lifted him into the air. Jonny was gone by the time the robot got to him and he tackled nothing but whooshing fire.

The flames dissipated and Jonny landed in a crouch, grinning from the adrenaline and his success. The ten robots had become five. Jonny could feel the tide of battle turning in his favor. He hummed again and gripped a flaming, licking sword of pure fire. By then the remaining robots had recovered from being knocked down by wind. They advanced on him slowly, carefully. Jonny held his ground as the five robots surrounded him. He tilted his head from side to side, trying to watch all of them at once. He caught one of them lunging out of the corner of his eye. He turned, gripped his fire sword and swung with all his might.

SLASH!

Jonny slashed him diagonally across the belly, burning and melting metal flesh. But even as he fell back, the remaining four robots converged at once. Jonny fell from a blow to the back of the neck and suddenly found himself on the bottom of a mechanical dog pile.

"Stop!" Slade ordered. "Disengage!"

The weight was suddenly taken off of Jonny as the robots peeled themselves off of him. They stepped back and stood in place, awaiting more demands. Jonny sat up and rubbed his neck; not out of his habitual gesture, but out of pain.

"Okay," he groaned. "What did I do wrong that time?"

"Where to begin?" Slade mused. "You must remember you have three powers and a fourth, situational one. You will be most efficient when you find a balance between them. If you lean too heavily on one…as you did with fire here…you are bound to fall."

"I'll be sure to remember that." Jonny stood up wearily. "Anything else?"

"Your advantage is in your powers and mobility." Slade went on. "Their advantage is in their numbers and hand-to-hand fighting. You stood there and allowed them to neutralize your advantages and magnify their own."

Jonny nodded in response, but didn't answer.

"Now," Slade said. "Finish them off. Begin!"

Jonny wasted no time. He took in a deep breath, gestured and sang:

_Love is a burning thing_

_And it leaves a fiery ring!_

The last four robots recoiled and huddled together as a circle of fire sprang up around them. Jonny hummed and flew up on the wind song. Now that he could see them clearly, he pointed again. A thick bolt of electricity streaked down and, at the last second, splintered into four branches.

Z-Z-Z-ZAT!

Jonny landed lightly back on the ground and blew out the flames to reveal the disfigured and dismantled robots.

"Much better." Slade approved with two slow claps. "You're learning quickly."

Jonny gave a tired, lopsided smile.

"No one's ever accused me of that before."

"Now," Slade said. "Do it again." He snapped his fingers and, as before, ten more black and orange robots answered his call. "Only this time, you must defeat them without your newfound powers."

"Right." Jonny said absently. "Without my-" He suddenly stopped, blinked and did a double take. "Say what?"

"As I said, a true fighter needs balance. The gifts allowed you by the Nanomachines give you a great advantage, but you shouldn't learn to depend on them. There will be times when you'll have no choice but to fight hand-to-hand. Now…begin!"

"W-wait!"

But it was too late. The robots had already come to life and bore down on him. With no other choice, Jonny stomped forward at the nearest robot with his fist reared back. The robot prepared to attack with a kick, but the cowboy closed the distance between them sooner than he had predicted. Jonny smashed his fist into the robot's face. But before he could start his next action, three other robots were on him. Jonny winced, tensed and clenched his eyes shut.

"Stop!" Slade bellowed.

Jonny carefully peeked his eyes open and two gloved fists and a boot filled his vision. The attacking robots were frozen in place and the strikes stopped within inches of Jonny's face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Slade asked him.

"I was doing what you told me to!"

"I told you to fight them hand-to-hand." Slade stressed. "Not to fight them all at once."

Jonny frowned.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Move. Make them come to you. You're no match against their numbers. You need to separate them…scatter them…pick your spots and fight them one at a time. You're not a one man army."

"Obviously." Jonny panted. He backed away from the frozen robots. He took off his coat and hat and laid them in a pile. "Think we can take a bit of a break now?"

"Not yet. The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle."

Jonny exhaled and shook his head.

"I'm not a soldier, Slade!"Slade leaned forward.

"Not yet you're not. Now start again." He snapped his fingers and the robots reanimated. They finished their attack and, finding Jonny gone, looked around and found him again.

Jonny pulled loose and length of rope from his belt and quickly tied a lasso. He threw it over a loose piece of cobblestone the size of a man's head and the noose pulled tight around it. As the robots rushed him, Jonny pulled hard on the rope, swung the rock over his head twice to gain momentum and then threw it into the midst of the charging robots. The rock smacked into the lead robot and, a sparking hole in his chest, he fell back into another.

There was no time for another swing. Jonny kicked his knee up and the knife stuck in his boot flew up. He caught it in midair, extended the blade with a flick of his wrist and cut the lasso loose from his belt. Then he turned and hightailed it from the robots. He hopped up on to the block he had lifted with his wind song earlier just as the robots caught up with him.

Jonny stomped on their fingers as they tried to climb up after him and stabbed one in the face with his knife when he peeked his head over the edge.

"Wait!" Slade stopped the robots once again.

Jonny leaned over on his knees and breathed…breathed….breathed.

"Now what?" He huffed.

"The knife." Slade pointed. "You're holding it wrong. Invert your grip."

Jonny regripped the knife to where the blade was pointed out away from his pinky.

"Like this?"

Slade nodded and snapped his fingers."Restart!"

The robots clamored to get to Jonny up on the rock again. Jonny turned and jumped off the back side of the block and over two robot heads at once. He landed, reverse kicked one in the back and ran off again. He weaved between two stone columns and then dug in his heels as he reached the edge of the platform. He looked down at the tracks below and then turned to face the robots converging on him.

The robots, realizing his precarious position, took their time to surround him in a semi-circle. Jonny glanced at Slade, but his cross-armed pose gave no indication that he was going to stop the fight anytime soon. As one man, the robots took another step closer. Jonny sweat and held out his arms as unthreateningly as possible. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the dark tunnel and saw a light drawing closer. He suddenly smirked.

"I don't have time to be messin' around with you guys!" He quoted.

The subway train pulled up to the station behind him. Just as the robots sprang at him, the double doors opened and he escaped, though it didn't take long for the robots to follow him inside.

Every subway car was the same. Metal walls, floor and ceiling. Plastic chairs lining on either side. Poles that ran from the floor to the ceiling every few meters and triangular, dangling handles.

Jonny ran to the end of the first car. He grabbed one of the poles, spun around it and jabbed both boots into the chest of a chasing robot. As he fell back into the others, Jonny pried open the doors to the next car and ran. Kelly sat in the middle of it with a plastic bag in the seat beside her. She did a double take and looked at him in surprise.

"What-" she started.

"Sorry, gotta go!" Jonny said as he whisked by.

Kelly looked behind him and saw the black and orange robots he was fleeing from. She waited until the last moment and, yawning innocently, she suddenly stretched her feet out.

TH-TH-TH-THUNK!

The robots tripped over her legs like falling dominoes.

In the next car, Jonny stopped running and turned to wait for them. The corridor of the train car was narrow. He figured he'd only have to deal with one or two at a time. Still not great odds, but better than nothing.

Jonny slashed his knife at the first robot that met him, but the robot ducked and hit him across the jaw with a closed fist. Jonny stumbled back and ran into the glass and metal door leading to the next car. The robot came after him with another punch, but Jonny was ready this time. He grabbed one of the handles and moved it to where the robot's arm went through it up to the elbow. Then he twisted it hard. The robot, his arm caught, spun around and around and fell back into his allies.

Jonny was on them then in a one man dog pile. His knife flashed as he slashed down at them. When he was finally pushed away, only two of the robots remained. The first robot took two sprinting steps, jumped and aimed a flying kick. Jonny dodged out of the way and opened the door behind him. The robot leaped through the antechamber between the cars and into the next. Jonny quickly jumped into the closet-like antechamber himself and slammed the door shut.

The remaining robot charged as well and Jonny fearfully shut the other door, locking him in the antechamber.

The left door opened and the first robot's fist came flying in. Jonny ducked, shoved him out and shut the door again.

The right door opened. The second robot kicked Jonny in the side and he rammed against the left door. Jonny grunted, kicked back and slammed the door shut on him.

The left door opened. The first robot punched with both fists at once. Jonny ducked and crawled through the robots legs. Once in the next car, Jonny donkey-kicked the robot into the antechamber and closed the door.

The right door opened. The second robot reared back his fist to attack…and stopped at the last moment when he realized it wasn't Jonny.

The left door opened and Jonny came barreling into the antechamber like a charging bull. The first robot side stepped him and the second closed the right door.

WHAM!

Jonny ran into it and was knocked half senseless. He was once again in the antechamber and the robots were in the cars on either side of him. The robots must have sensed he was weakened, because Jonny saw through the windows that both of them brought out their laser blasters.

The right door opened.

The left door opened.

The first robot aimed.

The second robot aimed.

Jonny ducked.

ZAP! ZAP!

The robots' heads exploded and their dead weight fell to the floor.

Jonny sat in the antechamber, breathing and panting and sweating and sucking air. The right door opened and Jonny tensed, but he relaxed when he saw it was Kelly.

"Not bad." She smiled.

Jonny looked tiredly up at her, wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his sleeve and grinned back at her.

"Easy as pie." He drawled. Then he promptly toppled over to lean against the wall in exhaustion.

Kelly laughed.


	7. Oct 3: Girls! Girls! Girls!

"_I am a man of science. Feelings mean nothing to me." - Pytor Raskov_

**Girls! Girls! Girls!**

**October 3****rd**

**Afternoon**

Starfire gave a polite knock on the infirmary door before letting herself inside. She looked around, but she found the bed and room empty.

"Aquagirl?" Starfire called. "Are you present?" She turned as the bathroom door opened and the dark-haired girl leaned against the doorframe.

"Is that what you're calling me now?" Aquagirl asked.

"It does seem a most apt name." Starfire pointed out. "Would you rather we call you something else?"

Aquagirl was obviously not prepared for that question. She was silent for a thoughtful moment, but then she shook her head.

"I guess not." She deflated.

Starfire walked over and sat on the infirmary bed. She patted the spot beside her, inviting Aquagirl to join her, but Aquagirl crossed her arms and ignored the gesture.

"I understand this must be quite a trying experience for you-" Starfire began.

"Oh?" Aquagirl cut in. "Have you had amnesia before?"

Starfire bit her top lip.

"S-sorry." Aquagirl said begrudgingly. "I know you're just trying to help."

"It is I whom should apologize." Starfire said. "I should not have presumed-"

"It's okay. Really." Aquagirl walked out of the bathroom doorway and to the window. She ignored the vista of Jump City in the distance and stared down at the frothing, churning depths of the sea. "Maybe I should just dive in." She said quietly. "And just pick a direction and swim…"

"No!" Starfire stood up in protest. "Such an existence would be a lonely thing!"

"Yeah…" Aquagirl slurred. She turned around to face the skirted alien. "What about you? Do you like being a Teen Titan?"

"Very much so!" Starfire smiled and nodded. "It allows me to be with my friends…a-and my boyfriend as well."

"Robin?""Heeheehee! Affirmative!" Starfire blushed slightly.

Aquagirl politely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"What about the fighting?" She asked.

"My people are a race of warriors." Starfire said. "I would be misleading if I ever said I did not enjoy our confrontations with those that would do harm to the innocent citizens of Jump City."

"So…you like bashing heads for justice?"

"P-perhaps…" Starfire looked embarrassed. "Though I would not put it in such a vernacular.""Of course not." Aquagirl was about to say more, but she suddenly grunted in pain and hugged herself.

"Aquagirl! What is it?"

"M-my chest." Aquagirl squeezed out between her teeth. "It hurts."

"Please! Come lay down!" Starfire led her to the medical bed and helped her up. "Cyborg said it will be some days until you fully recover. You should rest."

"Right…" The painful spasm passed and Aquagirl relaxed and closed her eyes.

Starfire watched her, then silently walked to the door.

"Starfire." Aquagirl stopped her.

"Yes?"

"Thanks." Aquagirl said simply.

"You are most welcome."

And Starfire left her alone to sleep.

TTTTTTTTTT

The girl had no name and nor did that fact bother her. Indeed, she didn't name anything at all. Everything she saw and felt and heard and smelled was…and everything she didn't was not. The people in white called her Project 23, but the title was meaningless to the girl.

The girl with no name had memories, but there were a garbled mess that she could not consciously recall. She would sometimes see faces and places and hear familiar voices calling to her in her mind, but she felt no attachment to any of it. It was a passing dream, that would hold her attention for but a moment.

Most of her days were spent huddled in the corner of her white-walled room. There was a medical bed and a leather and wooden chair in the room, but she ignored them and preferred her corner. She would pull her knees up to her chest and rock…rock…rock back and forth, for hours on end. The movement and repetition was somehow comforting.

At first the girl with no name would scream and cry and scream some more when the people in white trespassed into her room, but soon they became a part of her routine and she was able to ignore them. Even the frequent shots and physicals and blood withdrawals and tests became tolerable.

It was the life she was used to. She would have been intent to live our her days in that little corner of the world she saw as her own. But then _he_ had entered her life. It had only been for the briefest of moments but, through the glass, the girl with no name had seen a boy with green skin. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. And, since then, she had seen him time after time in her mind.

It was a memory that wouldn't go away.

TTTTTTTTTT

Doctor Pytor Raskov walked purposely down one of the many hallways of the Gemini Building with a phalanx of the light blue armored Gemini Guardsmen trailing behind. They marched in a square-shaped formation with the test subject planted in the center.

"Watch the subject." Dr. Raskov ordered the robots through his thick Russian accent. "She's been rambunctious lately."

Walking in the midst of the Gemini Guardsmen was a tall, steely eyed teenage girl. Her bare legs were long sprouting from beneath her medical gown and her neck was regal. Her black hair was cut extremely short, high above her ears in a tomboyish parting. Her wrists and ankles were bound and the chains jangled at every step.

"I have a name, ya know!" The girl spat.

"To me you are Project 22." Dr. Raskov replied without bothering to look at her. "Using your name would make our interactions too personal."

"Well, it's sure as hell personal to me!" The girl raged back. "Being caged up here and treated like a lab rat! How much more personal can you get?"

"That's not my concern. I am a man of science. Feelings mean nothing to me."

"Or morals." The girl growled.

Dr. Raskov stopped, and the phalanx of Gemini Guardsmen stopped with him. He looked over his shoulder.

"I'm surprised you have so much spirit left. I thought the reality of your situation would have sunken in by now and broken you. It's broken your sister, after all."

The girl let out a furious yell and dove at the scientist with her fingernails arced out like claws, but she never got close. The Gemini Guardsmen knocked her back roughly.

"Hm," Dr. Raskov smiled toothlessly. "Lab rat indeed. So predictable." He started walking again and gestured. "Come."

The Gemini Guardsmen followed him and, stuck in the middle of them, the girl had no choice but to follow.

"Where are we going?" She demanded.

"Research Room Five."

"Training." The girl grunted.

"Oh?" Dr. Raskov said. "Would you rather we go to Research Room Two?"

Despite her defiant, resistant attitude, the girl's hazel eyes wavered in fear at the thought.

"N-no."

Dr. Raskov was nice enough - or not - to let that show of weakness go by without reply.

Research Room Five was divided into three parts. The entry room was a small, lobby-like room with nothing but storage lockers lining either side and a staircase leading up to the observation deck. The observation deck - as the name implied - was a raised chamber with a large window where one could look down into the main room. It also housed the electronic equipment to control all that went on there. The main room was a large, circular place fifty yards in diameter. The floors and walls were sloped smooth and an icicle-like power generator hung from the ceiling high above.

Dr. Raskov, the girl and the Gemini Guardsmen stood in the crowded entry room. The scientist opened one of the storage lockers and thrust a thick, black bodysuit at the girl's feet.

"Put on the sensor suit." He ordered.

The girl raised her handcuffed hands and rattled the chain holding her ankles.

"Take these off, then." She said.

Dr. Raskov smirked and tilted his head.

"Why not do it yourself?"

The girl's eyes narrowed hatefully.

"You bastard."

"It's the nature of the experiment after all." Dr. Raskov went on pompously. "Consider this your warm up." He turned to the Gemini Guardsmen. "Do it."

Two Guardsmen easily picked up the struggling girl by her shoulders. They slammed her - back first - into the storage lockers with bone-rattling force. The girl's shoulder blades crunched and her head bounced sickeningly off the hard metal. The two Gemini Guardsmen let go of her and she fell down to her knees. A throbbing, pulsating knot formed almost instantly on the back of her head. The girl shook, grit her teeth and clenched her eyes shut to keep back the tears that sprang to her eyes. That was one satisfaction she refused to give.

"Well?" Dr. Raskov pressed.

The girl grunted and stood up with a stony face. She pulled her wrists apart, breaking the chain bounding them. She ripped off the remaining bindings around her wrists and then did the same with her ankle bindings.

"Very good. Now put on the suit." The scientist looked at the Gemini Guardsmen. "Watch her." He warned them before turning and mounting the steps to the observation deck.

The girl peeled her medical gown off over her head, revealing her nude form. From her hairline down to the soles of her feet, her body was covered with dozens and dozens and dozens of scars. The scars were straight and methodical, as if they had been some kind of medieval, torturous tattoo. She pulled on the black sensor suit with a grimaced effort.

"Why does it always have to be so damn tight?" She complained.

The Gemini Guardsmen ignored her.

The girl finally managed to pull on the skintight suit. Complete with a hood, it covered every inch of her body save for her face. She took a deep breath, sighed and walked into the main room. The door to the entry room slammed shut behind her.

"Took you long enough." Dr. Raskov said into a microphone up in the observation deck. His voice was transferred into the main room by a multitude of speakers hidden in the walls.

"The sensor suit is a bitch to put on." The girl retorted.

"I wouldn't know."

"About the suit or bitches?"

"Both." Dr. Raskov's tone was definitive. The banter was over. "Are you ready?"

"As if it matters." The scarred girl muttered.

"Indeed." Dr. Raskov said. "Begin!"

The large, circular room - deceptively calm and quiet - suddenly sprang to life and became a madhouse of destruction. Whipping metal tentacles emerged from the walls, some with jagged clamps on the end. Flat presses came out of nowhere, clanged together and retracted, only to come out at a different and random angle. Round, waist high laser turrets peek out of the floor, took a few random shots and lowered back in. Arcing streaks of energy crisscrossed the room, sometimes forming checkered force field walls.

The girl in the bodysuit crept carefully along the edge of the room. A turret popped up and fired at her and she dove to the ground to avoid the lasers. She crawled along, saw the coast was clear and climbed to her feet. She had only taken a single step when a metal tentacle catapulted out of the wall right next to her. It flew into her side and sent her rag dolling towards the middle of the room. Another round turret popped up and the girl's lower back slammed into it, contorting her body like a drawn bow before she flipped over it and landed on the floor.

She laid there, shaking. The muscles in her back screamed and strained. She reached out to the gun turret - aimed the opposite way - and used it to stand up. She lifted her head and the scars of her exposed face glowed blue. The girl snarled and ripped the turret from the floor. She spun and flung it into another rising behind her.

BOOM!

A clamp on the end of a metal tentacle grabbed her around the waist and lifted her wildly into the air. The girl gritted her teeth and chopped down, severing the tentacle. She landed in a crouch, caught the unhinged clamp and used it to block another tentacle that streaked at her. Then she turned and flung the metal clamp into the unbreakable glass of the observation deck.

WH-CLUNK!

The girl smirked in satisfaction as Dr. Raskov nearly jumped out of his seat. But in doing so, she didn't see the beam of energy behind her.

ZAAAAAATTTTT!

The girl screamed and smoked as the energy fried her body. The beam finally moved on and the scarred girl mercifully fell to the cool floor, unconscious.

The room of destruction stopped. The turrets retracted into the floor and the tentacles recoiled into the walls. The presses and the beams of energy disappeared as well. A moment later, Dr. Raskov and the Gemini Guardsmen came in through the entry room.

"Pick her up." The doctor ordered. The Gemini Guardsmen reached down and picked up the limp girl by the arms. Her head hung low, and Dr. Raskov lifted it by her chin. "You stupid girl." He said. "Either you're a fool…"

He paused.

"Or you're just destined to be in pain."


	8. Oct 3: Maverick

"_Why do I get the feeling I'll be hearing water and fish jokes for the rest of my life?" - Aquagirl_

**Maverick**

**October 3rd**

**Evening**

In the kitchen adjoining the main room of Titans Tower, Cyborg stirred a steaming pot on the stove with a bemusing seriousness.

"Dude!" Beast Boy had wandered in for a soda. "Are you eating again? Dinner was like…two seconds ago!"

"It's not for me, genius." Cyborg tapped the changeling's green head with a metal finger. "Aquagirl has to eat, too, ya know."

"Here I thought she survived off algae."

Cyborg stopped stirring to stare at him.

"Okay, man. Your jokes are getting worse."

Beast Boy shrugged his narrow shoulders.

"I'm angstier than I used to be."

"Sure…" Cyborg went back to his cooking.

"So!" Beast Boy unexpectedly jumped up on the metal man's shoulders. "Whatcha making her?"

"For your information," Cyborg said proudly. "I'm making her my world famous triple pepper chili with mustard sauce and _just a hint of onion_. Just like granny used to make!"

"Gawd," Beast Boy made a face as he looked at the bubbling brown concoction. "Are you trying to feed her or blow her up?"

"Okay…that was better."

The double doors of the main room opened up behind them and Robin stomped in, throwing up his arms in consternation.

"Nothing!" He said irritably. "How can a global business that goes toe to toe with Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises have so few public records!?"

Beast Boy hopped down from Cyborg to face the Boy Wonder.

"Cyborg and me are trying to have a culinary discussion here." He said. "Maybe you could take your nerd rage somewhere else?"

Robin glared daggers at him.

"A-ahem. A-heheh. Nerd rage away."

"The library had nothing on Gemini Industries." Robin went on. "I swear they should just put all important information on digital copy now. I'm tired of getting paper cuts."

"Um…" Cyborg hummed. "You wear gloves, man."

"_That's not the point!"_

Raven, who had been all but invisible up to this point on her customary futon, spoke up.

"Unless he didn't go at the library as Robin." She pointed out.

"Ooooooooooooh!" Beast Boy and Cyborg said it together, suddenly interested.

"Dude, seriously? You went sans the mask?" Beast Boy followed up.

"It's not important." Robin muttered.

"It sounds important to me!" Cyborg disagreed. "This is the first time I've heard of you not being Robin since…like….forever! Tokyo doesn't count!"

"It's not a big deal." Robin stressed. "Wouldn't you rather hear what I found out about Gemini?"

"Is it something about the girl I saw?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.

"…no."

"Then no." Beast Boy said cheerfully.

Robin ignored that.

"Maryse Gemini…the owner…was born in Paris, France. She took over her father's lab when he died ten years ago and moved it to the US. Now it's an international superpower in the business world."

"Fascinating." Beast Boy yawned.

"So she's a good business woman." Cyborg shrugged.

"No," Robin corrected. "She's an unbelievably _great_ business woman. Both Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises took generations to become what they are. How could Gemini Industries do the same in ten years?"

"So you think Gemini is shady." Raven surmised.

"I'm leaning that way." Robin nodded. "The fast rise to the top…the secretive nature…Slade's goons being there and - supposedly - not taking anything…it all points to something nefarious. But I don't have proof…not yet."

"So what are you gonna do?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm going to call Maryse Gemini tomorrow morning." Robin smiled.

Beast Boy blinked and scratched his head.

"What's that supposed to accomplish?"

"I'm going to ask permission to look around the Gemini Building." Robin said slyly. "Either one of two things will happen: She will agree and I'll get to look around, or she won't and we'll know she has something to hide."

"Sneaky." Raven said. Then she paused. "Um…Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"Weren't you…cooking something?"

Cyborg's eyes widened.

"Osnap!" He stomped back to the kitchen stove. "Crud crud crud crud!" He stirred the chili, but it was too late. "Aw, man! I scalded it! It's no good now!"

"As if it ever was!" Beast Boy quipped.

"Shut up, little man! What's Aquagirl supposed to eat now?"

"Maybe if you didn't inhale everything at dinner-" Beast Boy started.

"Yeah?" Cyborg shot back. "Maybe if you kept something in the fridge that _wasn't_ smelly tofu!"

"Tofu is not smelly!"

"Is so! It smells like your socks!"

"_My socks are not smelly!"_

"A-Ahem!" Raven cleared her throat and caught their attention. "Why don't you just order a pizza?" She suggested calmly.

Beast Boy looked at Cyborg.

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy.

A beat.

"That could work!""That could work!"

TTTTTTTTTT

In the hidden, underground subway station, Kelly and Jonny sat together in her room in one of the train cars that housed their living quarters. Kelly sat on the bed, sewing a black and orange garment in her lap. Jonny sat on the floor beneath her, leaning against the side of the bed.

"Ugh…!" Jonny groaned from somewhere deep in his belly. "I feel like I got kicked by a wild horse. Twice."

Kelly's threaded needle flashed as she dipped it expertly in and out of the suit in her lap.

"Slade's training is tough." She said. "But it'll make you stronger."

"If I survive it." When she didn't answer, Jonny crawled over to his bag and found his pack of cigarettes. He popped one between his lips, lit it and dropped the cancer sticks back in his pack.

"I didn't know you smoked." Kelly said.

"I don't." Jonny exhaled smoke. "I'm in the process of quitting."

"Heh. Interesting strategy you have there."

"After today, I'd say I deserve it."

Kelly shrugged and Jonny did a slow double take at her.

"Aren't you gonna tell me this is bad for me and that I shouldn't do it?" He asked.

"You already know that, don't you?" Kelly said. "What's the point of me telling you?"

"…huh." Jonny took another long drag.

"Kelly, Jonny." Slade called from outside. "Come here."

Kelly put aside her work and leaned forward to her feet. She took one look at Jonny's tired face and easily pulled him to his feet with her super-strength.

"Thanks." Jonny smiled around his cigarette.

The two of them walked outside together to find Slade standing on the subway platform with his hands clasped behind his back.

"It's time to tell you exactly who we are and what we're doing here." Slade told Jonny, who looked on expectantly. "We call ourselves The Undergrounders. We are not a normal vigilante group. We must be secretive and keep to the shadows as much as possible."

"Why all the smoke and mirrors?" Jonny wanted to know.

"We're not like the Titans." Kelly explained. "Everything they do is watched by the media and played out on TV. They do a lot of good but, because of their exposure, there's some things they can't do. That's where we come in."

"I don't get it." Jonny said.

"There are evils in this city that aren't obvious enough for the Titans to see." Slade explained. "And even if they could, they would be powerless to stop it. They are bound by the law. We are not."

"We'll be breaking the law?"

"Only the laws villains hide behind." Slade said. "But the police…and the Titans…will be obligated to try to stop us. They have no choice."

Jonny looked at them warily and absently flicked ashes.

"We're not gonna hurt anybody, are we?"

"Of course not." Kelly assured him. "Nothing like that. It's just…not every bad guy in this city is a metahuman stomping around the streets, ya know?"

"So we're like Robin Hood, fighting against an unjust government?"

"Not exactly." Slade said. "Our government isn't unjust…just limited. But you get the idea. You'll wear a mask and take on a new identity. You'll be safe from persecution."

Jonny pursed his lips and exhaled smoke through his nose, thinking.

"So," Slade went on. "Are you with us?"

Jonny rubbed his chin, his eyes faraway in thought.

_Do the right thing, Jonny._

The cowboy took in a deep breath, then nodded.

"I'm in." He reached out, shook Slade's hand and looked up into his narrowing, single eye.

Slade looked back unblinkingly.

"Welcome to the team, Maverick."

TTTTTTTTTTT

Cyborg knocked on the infirmary door and then punched the keypad beside it to slide it open. He walked inside, holding a brown pizza box over his head.

"Yo, Aquagirl!" He said in a friendly voice. "I thought you'd be hungry so-" He stopped and blinked at the sight in from of him.

Aquagirl floated in the middle of the room in a perfect globe of water. Her short black hair danced about her head and her medical gown billowed heavily around her. Cyborg could see the narrow gills in her neck open and close as she breathed. The top of the globe parted like the Red Sea until Aquagirl's head was above water.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Um…" Cyborg rubbed the smooth metal side of his head. "I though you'd be hungry, so I brought you a pizza. No anchovies, I promise!"

Aquagirl smirked.

"Clever." She said dryly. "Why do I get the feeling I'll be hearing water and fish jokes for the rest of my life?"

"Better than the fish tacos joke I had planned." Cyborg shrugged. He pulled a table up beside the medical bed. "Come get it while it's hot." He suggested.

The water surrounding Aquagirl broke away in wavering pieces. The liquid coalesced into a ribbon-like stream, twirled through the air and disappeared into the bathroom. Aquagirl dropped back down to the floor, walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. She took a pizza slice from the box and took a bite.

"Thanks." She chewed.

Cyborg leaned against the wall across from her.

"So," he said as he watched her eat. "What was up with the snow globe thing without the snow?"

"My skin keeps drying out." Aquagirl took another bite. "It was driving me crazy. The water ball thing was the only way I could think of to fix it."

"Your whole physiology is designed for underwater living." Cyborg said. "Your skin is water resistant to help you swim faster. But that's also why it has trouble absorbing water. You'll probably have to soak every couple of hours for the rest of your life."

"Fun." Aquagirl said bitterly. She dropped her crust and picked up another slice of pizza.

"We could make it easier on you." Cyborg said. "There's a pool here in the tower…and I bet we could install some kind of Jacuzzi for you." He thought about it. "Maybe I can make you some kind of suit out of a material that holds water better."

"You want me to stay, don't you?"

"Why not?" Cyborg smiled. "You're a nice enough little lady and your powers would certainly come in handy for stomping bad guys." He bit his lip. "At least until you get your memories back, of c-course."

"…of course…"

"Do you remember exactly what happened to you?" Cyborg asked.

Aquagirl shook her head.

"It's all a blur." She closed her dark eyes to think. "I was tied up, my hands and feet. I was in a bag, so I couldn't see anything. I woke up right before it happened. They threw me off something high, then I hit the water…and then I drowned."

Cyborg looked at her sympathetically, but then he tried to figure it out.

"The fact that you drowned means you were normal before you hit the water. You didn't develop your aquatic abilities until afterwards. It must have been something in the bay…" Cyborg looked down in the monitor on his wrist and typed. "Based on where Raven found you and the current of the bay…it looks like your drop point would be the Southern Bay Bridge."

Aquagirl had nothing to add.

"We'll go check it out tomorrow." Cyborg went on. "Maybe we can find some clues to who did this to you, or find something that could help jog your memory."

"I want to go, too." Aquagirl said. "I want to see it with my own eyes."

"You can." Cyborg said. "Just not tomorrow. You lungs still need time to recoup. A couple of days, at least." The robot pushed himself away from the wall and headed to the door. "Get some rest. Tomorrow we'll show you around the tower and let you meet everyone, all right?"

Aquagirl folded her arms across her chest.

"You can't keep me in here forever, you know."

"I know." Cyborg smiled. "Good night my little angelfish.""I hate you." Aquagirl shot back immediately.

Cyborg snickered and closed the door behind him.

TTTTTTTTTT

The top floor of the Gemini Building was devoted entirely to Maryse Gemini herself. Among the rooms there was a large, lavish office lined in rich, glossy redwood. The office was dim and toasty, thanks to a roaring fireplace she activated with a push of a button. Maryse took off her long, aqua-colored business coat and laid it across the back of a deep, cushioned chair.

Across from Maryse was a grizzled-faced man with a bushy brown mustache. He was dressed in a rumpled gray suit, a black and gray fedora and an undone tie. A metal badge hanging out of his chest pocket over his heart was a gold outlined star that read 'Walker'.

"Forgive me for arranging our meeting so late, Commissioner." Maryse said. "A global, multi-billion dollar company is ever taxing to run. Hardly a free moment to be found."

"Yeah?" Commissioner Walker said. "Try running a police force sometime."

"How droll." Maryse smiled faintly. She walked to a crystal decanter and poured herself a glass of dark, bubbling liquid. "Drink?" She asked as she took a sip.

"There's no use throwing your money in my face." The commissioner said bluntly. "I'm not intimidated. I don't care if your panties cost two dollars or two thousand. You still gotta put'em on one leg at a time like everybody else."

Maryse sat down at her desk, clasped her hands and rested her chin on them.

"You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't like anyone who pisses down my back and calls it rain." Commissioner Walker grumbled. "I know Slade well enough to know he didn't send his robo-goons here for the hell of it. He was after something. And since you claim nothing was stolen, where does that leave us?"

"Maybe he wants to intimidate and extort me?" Maryse suggested mildly.

"Oh? Has he sent you any threats or demands?" He went on when she didn't answer. "I don't think that's it at all. There are easier targets out there: businessmen and women with only slightly less money and without your steely reputation. You're not the kind to lay back and take something like that. Besides, it's not Slade's style. No, I think he stole something from you not in your official records; something you don't want me or the Titans or the general public to know about. How's that?"

"You're just guessing."

"Yeah?" The commissioner leaned forward and put his palms down on the desk, leaving fingerprint smudges on the immaculate, lacquered wood. "The fact you're not denying it makes me think it's a pretty damn good one."

Maryse leaned back in her chair, the orange glow of the crackling fire dancing across her soft face.

"You're much too smart to be a commissioner, Mister Walker." She said.

"I don't kiss ass and I don't play politics. I'm lucky to have climbed as high as I did. If the bastard who had the job before me wasn't so dirty, I never would have." Walker shrugged and leaned away from the desk. "I piss a lot of people off by saying what I think…including pretty French CEOs who are responsible for thousands of Jump City jobs and who probably has more than a few crooked politicians in her pocket. You could probably start a campaign to replace me as commissioner. But the only thing that will change is that, the next I come up here to pester you, I'll be wearing a less spiffy badge."

"You're fearless, commissioner."

"Rather I have nothing to lose."

"Everyone has something to lose." Maryse purred.

Commissioner Walker's eyes hardened.

"Is that a threat, Miss Gemini?"

"Not at all." She replied urbanely. "Just an observation." Her tone was suddenly flat. "You can leave now. My Gemini Guardsmen will see you out."

"I bet they will." Walker said. "I suggest you come clean before I find out whatever it is you're hiding on my own. It'll be a lot better for you that way."

"Goodbye, commissioner."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. And by the way-" he threw over his shoulder as he headed to the door. "That accent of yours is damn sexy."

When Commissioner Walker was gone, Maryse picked up the phone on her desk and hit a quick speed dial.

"I thought that man was all bluster, but it looks like he's not going to let this go. Are the fail-safes in places?" She paused as she listened. "Good. Make sure they're in working order. Oh, and put me in contact with C.W. I might need his specialized talents before this is all over. Get to work."

She hung up the phone, took another sip of wine from her priceless crystal glass and smiled.

TTTTTTTTTT

Melody was crying.

Crystal didn't know how long she had been asleep, but it couldn't have been long. Her eyes popped open at the sound of the baby's wailings. She pushed the blankets off of her, swiveled and put her feet to the floor. The wooden floor was cool to her feet, but it helped to shake off the last vestiges of sleep.

The nursery was just down the hallway and it didn't take Crystal long to get there. She leaned over the crib and picked up the crying baby girl.

"What's the matter, baby?" Crystal asked. She looked into the squalling red face and then stuck a fingertip into the leg hole of her diaper. "Wet, huh? We can fix that."

Crystal pulled out the changing table and gently set Melody on it. She cringed at one particularly shrill cry, but then she smiled.

"I don't blame you." Crystal said as she went to work. "I wouldn't want to sleep in a wet diaper, either." She took off the wet diaper, threw it in the trash bin in the corner and replaced it with a dry, clean one.

"There." Crystal picked Melody back up and cradled her to her shoulder. "Isn't that better?"

Melody's crying was quieter, but it still persisted. Crystal cooed and rubbed the baby's back. Then she sang a soft, whispering lullaby.

_High on a mountain in western MontanaA silhouette moves across a cinnamon sky_

_Riding along on a horse he calls Music_

_With a song on his lips and a tear in his eye… _

Melody hiccupped, took in a deep breath and fell quiet, soothed by Crystal's smooth voice. Crystal smiled and gently laid her back into her crib and pulled the blanket up over her.

"Jonny always liked that song." She whispered. "I guess it makes sense that you would, too."

Crystal couldn't help but think of her absent brother then. She knew there was more to it, but she couldn't help but feel that he was on some grand, big city adventure while she was stuck at home taking care of his loose ends. The worst part was that he hadn't called; probably because he was afraid their dad would pick up. The whole situation made her mad. The stupid feud between Jonny and their father was tolerable when it only effected the relationship between the two of them. But when it effected Jonny's relationship with the rest of the family, it just wasn't fair. Crystal missed her brother, and she couldn't talk to him because they were two stubborn to say a civil word to one another.

Crystal took a deep breath and looked down into the crib. It was hard to stay mad at anything looking at the calm face of a sleeping baby. Crystal smiled and left the room to search out her own bed again. Jonny would call…eventually.


	9. Oct 4: Beast Boy Isn't A Nazi

"_**The last time I saw you, you were soaking wet and wearing nothing but a hospital gown. Your figure is no secret to me." - Cyborg**_

**Beast Boy Isn't A Nazi**

**October 4th**

**Morning**

Robin paced irritably across his spacious, well-lit room with a phone held up to his ear. Starfire was with him, laid across his neatly made bed with her head dangling off the edge. She watched him - upside down - with vacant, bored green eyes.

"They are still holding you?" She asked.

"Yes." Robin said between grit teeth. "I've been taunted by psychotic terrorists, threatened by bloodthirsty monsters and I've seen you kiss an otaku…and I've never been more frustrated in my entire life."

"I believe they are - how do you say - giving your end a round?"

"They're doing _something_ to my end." Robin muttered. "I swear, if I hear one more Kenny Loggins song-"

He stopped as a voice squeaked through the receiver.

"_Gemini Industries, how may I help you?"_

"Yes, finally!" Robin sighed. "This is Robin and-"

"_Oh, hello Robin! I haven't seen you since last year's Christmas party!"_

"Um…I don't think-"

"_You're Larry's niece, right? Or was it daughter? I always forget!"_

A red vein throbbed dangerously on Robin's forehead.

"**Do I sound like a girl to you!?"**

"_Oh, so you had the operation. Congratulations, Robin! Or should I call you Robbie? Hehehe! I'll patch you through to Larry."_

"No, don't-!"

But it was too late. The receptionist had already put him on hold again.

"You did not get through, I take it?" Starfire asked.

Robin buried his face in his hands.

TTTTTTTTTT

Early that morning, Jonny and Kelly had slipped away from the underground station. They rode the subway to the nearest exit. They climbed up into Downtown Jump City and went to the same little diner in which they had first talked two days ago. They sat in a little corner booth next to a window. The two of them had already ordered and were waiting on their food. Kelly sipped at her milk, but Jonny ignored his Dr. Pepper and decided instead to thump the side of the cup in thought.

"Maverick…" He mused aloud.

"What's the matter?" Kelly asked. "Don't like it?"

"It's not that." Jonny shook his head. "It's just that I don't get it."

"I don't understand."

"Do you know what maverick means?"

"It just means cowboy, doesn't it?" Kelly said."Not really. As far as I know, there are two definitions for it." Jonny explained. "The first refers to an unbranded cattle. And since Slade doesn't exactly look like the ranching type, I have to assume he meant the second meaning."

"Which is?"

"A kind of loner. Someone independent and who's different from everyone around him. A horse of a different color, if you will." Jonny rubbed his chin. "So what I'm wondering is: What makes me so different from you and Slade?"

Kelly looked down at her glass.

"Maybe…" she said it without looking up. "Maybe he just called you that because it sounds cool, ya know?"

Jonny looked up at her and then he smiled.

"Yeah, you're right. I think too much sometimes." He took a sip of soda. "Maverick. It does sound pretty awesome, huh?"

The waitress walked up to them then with their food.

"Steak biscuit and buttered grits for the young man." She laid the food down in front of Jonny. "And waffles for the lady." She set the stack in front of Kelly.

"Thanks." Jonny said politely.

"I couldn't help but overhear as I was coming over here…" The waitress half apologized. "But there's a third meaning for Maverick."

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit." Kelly said it dangerously, and her narrowed brown eyes made the waitress take an unconscious step back.

"It's okay, Kelly." Jonny briefly put his hand on hers. "I'm curious now. What is it?"

The waitress blinked and slowly pulled her gaze away from Kelly to look at Jonny.

"A-ahem. My husband used to serve. The army has a special air-to-ground tactical missiles - called Mavericks - that they use to hit hard, heavily defended targets. Now if you'll excuse me." She gave Kelly an anxious look and quickly scurried away.

"Slade must have meant that one, right?" Jonny said. "He's using me like a missile to bust up the hard to capture bad guys."

"Of course." Kelly mumbled, her eyes distant. She picked up the syrup and poured them over her stack of waffles.

"Um…Kelly?" Jonny asked.

"Hm?"

"Think you have enough syrup?"

"What?" Kelly looked down as the brown, sticky liquid nearly flowing over the edges of the plate and quickly tilted the syrup bottle upright. "Heh…guess I got caught daydreaming."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine." Kelly said quickly and looked up. "So, have you called your family yet?"

That question took Jonny by surprise. He stopped in the process of raising the steak biscuit to his lips, grunted and took a bite anyway.

"Not yet." He said as he swallowed.

"They're probably worried about you, Jonny." Kelly told him.

"Probably," Jonny agreed.

"And you're still not gonna call?"

"I don't want to talk to my dad." Jonny said.

"What's the deal between you two?" Kelly wanted to know.

Jonny sighed.

"We haven't been able to get along for the last couple of years, ever since I decided to think for myself and not do every little thing he says like some kind of brainwashed soldier. It pisses him off whenever I don't agree with him or do something a little different from the way he'd do it. He's so old-fashioned it makes my teeth hurt."

Kelly leaned forward on her elbows.

"But that's not the whole reason, is it?" Kelly bit her lip when she saw the pained look in Jonny's eyes. "You don't have to tell me." She added quickly.

"It's all right." Jonny said. He took a deep breath. "A few weeks ago, he said something I can't ever forgive him for."

"…What did he say?"

Jonny coughed brusquely.

"Just the truth."

"Is that so bad?" Kelly asked.

"He wasn't telling me nothing I didn't already know. He said it for no other reason than to hurt me."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him I hated him." Jonny said flatly.

"That's not a big deal." Kelly said. "Teenagers say that to their parents all the time."

"But I meant it. I still do. Besides," Jonny looked away embarrassed. "I kinda hit him…punched him in the gut."

"So that's why you left to come here?"

"The writing was already on the wall. That was just the straw that broke the camel's back." Jonny smiled unsteadily. "Can we please talk about something else?"

Kelly looked back sympathetically.

"Of course."

TTTTTTTTTT

Aquagirl awoke in the infirmary to the smell of hot, home cooked food. Her dark eyes took in Cyborg, Raven and a green-skinned young man standing beside her bed.

"Good morning." Cyborg greeted her cheerfully.

"…Good morning." Aquagirl replied with much less enthusiasm. She sat up slowly and blinked at the green one. "I'm guessing you're Beast Boy." She said to him.

"Yep-yep!" Beast Boy grinned and jabbed a thumb at himself harder than he had intended. He grimaced and gingerly rubbed his bruised chest, but his smile quickly returned. "What gave me away?"

"Call it a woman's intuition." Aquagirl said dryly.

"Hehehe! The best kind of intuition if you ask me!"

Aquagirl couldn't help it: She giggled while Beast Boy waggled his eyebrows proudly.

"Can't the flirting at least wait until after she's eaten?" Raven asked.

"Raven! I wasn't flirting! I was just being friendly, that's all!" Though he was sincere, Beast Boy blushed despite himself.

"Whatever." Raven let the subject drop.

"Check it out!" Cyborg gestured at the plate on the bedside table. "We got you sausage, scrambled eggs and-" The metal man's voice was suddenly monotone. "Beast Boy made us give you some non-dairy tofu waffles." He finished disgustedly.

"Just because _you_ like eating meat doesn't mean everyone else does, too! I've been both of those animals." Beast Boy pointed at the eggs and sausage. "I bet Aquagirl understands. You'd never catch her eating fish!"

Aquagirl groaned. Then she reached out, picked up one of the sausages and bit into it savagely out of spite. Beast Boy let out a shriek and his face drooped.

"Aw, man!" He mourned.

"Anyway," Cyborg said. "I have something else for you." He brought a wetsuit out from behind his back. It was a deep blue with stylized white streaks along the torso, sleeves and legs.

"It's my very own design." Cyborg announced. "Most wetsuits are made to keep water out, but I made this one with a super absorbent fiber that should help keep water in. It'll keep your skin moisturized longer so you won't have to soak as often."

Aquagirl took the suit and held it up to get a better look at it.

"Where did you find the time to make this?" She asked.

"It takes a lot less than eight hours to recharge my power cell each night." Cyborg said. "In a way, I should thank you for giving me something to do while everyone else was asleep."

"Thanks." Aquagirl said gratefully. "Would you care if I made a few little changes to it?"

"Um, s-sure." Cyborg shrugged. "Knock yourself out, girl!"

"Got any scissors?"

Raven wordlessly used her telekinesis to open a nearby medicine cabinet. A pair of silver medical scissors floated over, surrounded by warbling black. Aquagirl snatched the scissors out of the air and went to work. A cartoon smoke cloud obscured her as she made the modifications to the wetsuit. Ribbons of the fabric went spiraling in all directions as Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy chibily watched in awe.

SNIP! SNIP! SNIP!

"There!" Aquagirl smiled brightly in self-satisfaction. "Now let's see how it looks." Before anyone could comment, she disappeared into the bathroom with the altered garment in tow.

"Sooooo," Beast Boy said. "Maybe she was a fashion designer in her past life?"

Aquagirl stepped out of the bathroom in her new outfit.

The three Titans stared.

"Or a exotic dancer." Raven hummed.

The blue and white wetsuit was hardly recognizable. The sleeves were completely gone, leaving Aquagirl's rounded arms bare. The legs were cut short as well, stopping high up on her thighs. A diamond pattern was cut out of the stomach, exposing Aquagirl's naval and ending just below her sternum. She spun around and a parallel diamond was cut out of the back.

"I can't believe how well it fits." She held out her hands to showcase the snug uniform. "How did you know my size, Cyborg?"

Cyborg awkwardly rubbed the side of his head.

"Yeah, well…" He floundered. "The last time I saw you, you were soaking wet and wearing nothing but a hospital gown. Your figure is no secret to me."

Aquagirl blinked, blushed and blinked again. Then she coughed.

"Ahem! How does it look?" She asked.

Beast Boy defied the laws of physics and gravity as he whisked around her impossibly fast in a green blur, looking at her from all angles. Then he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"I think it's very…I mean, it's really got….I like the-"

"It shows a lot of skin." Raven supplied flatly.

"Eeek!" Beast Boy said shrilly and covered his face.

"It's supposed to." Aquagirl explained. "My skin repels water for a reason. If I had this suit covering me all the way up, I'd swim as slow as a turtle."

"I highly doubt that." Raven said, but she was drowned out by Cyborg and Beast Boy as they leaped onto the excuse.

"That makes sense!" Cyborg nodded.

"Yup, yup." Beast Boy agreed. "We can't have a slow swimming Aquagirl, right?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Boys," she sighed. Then she looked at Aquagirl. "We're going down to the bay now. We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Thanks." Aquagirl said.

Raven looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Let's go." She said.

"Right."

"Uh-huh."

Neither of the boys moved.

Aquagirl politely glanced away and then looked back. She scuffed her bare foot on the floor-

Y-YANK!

Raven grabbed them by their ears and dragged them to the door.

"H-hey! What's the deal, Raven!?"

"Yeow! Ow ow ow ow! This hurts, ya know!"

Aquagirl giggled.

TTTTTTTTTT

Robin and Starfire laid side by side on his bed in his room. Robin still held the phone as generic pop music played irritatingly in his ear while Starfire rolled her head to look around the room. Then she smiled.

"I spy, with my little eye-""The weapon rack." Robin said.

"C-correct." Starfire said in surprise. "How did you-"

"Know?" Robin finished for her. "I'm a detective, remember?"

"Very well. Now it is your turn."

The Boy Wonder glanced lethargically around the room.

"I spy, with my little eye-" The phone squawked. "Larry!"

Starfire looked around in adorable confusion.

"I do not see a Larry…"

"_Robin?"_ Larry said over the phone. _"I told you never to call me here. If my wife or kids found out-"_

"No!" Robin stressed. "I'm not _that_ Robin. I'm part of the Teen-"

"_I don't have time to do the roleplay thing right now! I have a report to type up and turn in within the hour. I promise I'll book a motel room for us tomorrow night and we can do the Tarzan and Jane bit, okay?"_

Robin growled from deep in his throat.

"I don't care about that! Just let me talk to Maryse Gemini. Now!"

"_Ooooh. Now that's hot."_

Robin sat up and chucked the phone angrily across the room.

Starfire laid meekly beside him as he breathed…breathed…breathed.

Silence.

A beat.

"I do not spy a Larry here…" She said.

Robin attempted to smother himself with his own pillow.

TTTTTTTTTT

The first thing Jonny noticed when he and Kelly entered the cozy little brick building was the rich, pungent smell of roasting coffee beans.

"We could have got coffee back at the diner." Jonny said as the bell above the door rang out, announcing their presence.

"That's not why we're here." Kelly said. "Look around."

Jonny took her advice and peered around at the cluttered, low ceiling'd shop. To his immediate right was a glass display stand and counter, showing off a multitude of curvy croissants, baked bagels and delicious doughnuts. Behind the counter he spotted coffee makers and a huge, bronze monstrosity he could only assume was a cappuccino machine. Jonny imagined the myriad of smells were better than any of the individual treats available.

To Jonny's right was another sales counter without the food where Kelly spoke lowly to a clerk. Beyond were three long rows of chairs and glowing computer monitors, though only a few were in use. Jonny took a moment to take it all in before he leaned in closer to Kelly, who had finished her business at the front desk.

"What is this place?" He asked her.

"I guess you've never been to a internet café before." Kelly told him. When she saw his blank face, she continued. "It's a place where you can go to use a computer."

"Oh, all right." Jonny looked around and rubbed the back of his neck. "What do we need a computer for?"

"You said you didn't want to call home because you didn't want to talk to your dad, right?"

"Right."

"This way you won't have to." Kelly explained. "You can send a email instead. Does anyone in your family have a email address?"

"My little sister does." Jonny answered. "She's a total computer geek."

"Let's email her." Kelly led him over to the nearest computer. Jonny smiled and followed her.

"Here you go." Kelly held out the chair for him.

Jonny sat down and settled in. He looked at the keyboard. He looked at the computer monitor. He fidgeted with the mouse. He frowned. He looked at the keyboard. He looked at the computer monitor. He fidgeted with the mouse. He frowned. He looked at the keyboard-

"Maybe I should set it up for you?" Kelly said helpfully.

"That would probably be best." He muttered. He stood up and let Kelly sit down instead.

Kelly typed and clicked and typed for an embarrassingly short amount of time.

"All ready." She said. "What do you want to say?"

Jonny tilted his head and tugged at one ear, thinking.

"I've never dictated an email before." He said.

"Just say whatever comes to mind." Kelly prepared to type.

"Dear Crystal," Jonny said simply. "I hope everything's going all right. I miss you and mom and Tim and Melody, of course. Give her a kiss for me, will you? Things are looking good here in the city. I had kind of a rocky start, but I've already met a great friend that's helping me out."

There was a lull in the clackclackclacking of keys as Kelly typed, but Jonny didn't notice.

"I've found a job, but I'll have to find a new place to stay if I want everything to be ready." Jonny went on. "Hopefully I'll get everything squared away soon and the family can come up here. I know you want to get away from the ranch and see the city almost as much as I did. I think you'd fit in a lot better here than I would. But I digress, I reckon. I just wanted to let you know I'm here, safe and sound and in one piece. Tell Melody I love her. Love, Jonny."

Jonny leaned over her shoulder to see the blinking text.

"How's that?" He asked.

"Perfect." Kelly said. She scrolled over the send button and clicked. "All done."

"Thanks a ton, Kelly." Jonny put a hand on her shoulder. "This really means a lot."

Kelly smiled up at him.

"What are friends for?"

TTTTTTTTTT

The T-Car pulled up onto a sandy bar along the bay. Long, swaying grass danced beyond the sand and the water itself seemed darker than around Titans Tower itself. The Southern Bay Bridge loomed tall above them, shrinking the T-Car into insignificance. It was an architectural marvel with the sloping, cabled design and steel pillars plunging into the water below.

Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy stepped out of the vehicle. Beast Boy shielded his eyes and looked up at the giant bridge.

"Someone actually tossed Aquagirl off that thing?" He gasped.

"If my calculations are right they did." Cyborg said. "It matches Aquagirl's story and where Raven found her."

"Who would do something like that?" Raven asked.

"That's what we're here to find out." Cyborg said grimly. "Unfortunately we don't have a lot to go on. Even if there were witnesses, there's no way to find them and the bridge itself doesn't have any kind of surveillance system."

"So people can throw whatever they want off of it with no one the wiser." Raven said. "No wonder the water's so murky."

Cyborg frowned up at the bridge.

"I get the feeling we're not gonna find anything here." He said.

"Dude," Beast Boy piped up. "We won't know until we try, right? I'll check out the bay bottom."

Beast Boy turned into a green seal, waddled into the surf and dove down into the water. His black eyes peered through cloudy water as he swam, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't have to look very hard. He coughed underwater and noticed a green, smoky substance rising up to him. The green seal that was Beast Boy dove down deeper and found three metal barrels leaking the disgusting stuff. Along the side of the barrels, in big, broad black letters, was the word 'GEMINI'.

Beast Boy turned, kicked his tail hard and made his way back to the surface. When the water was shallow enough, he reverted back to his humanoid form and sloshed through the knee deep water.

"Nast-eh!" Beast Boy made a sour face. "There's some weird toxic waste crud down there in barrels! And you won't believe where they came from….huh?"

He noticed Cyborg and Raven staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What's the matter?" Beast Boy said. "Do I have seaweed in my hair?"

"Beast Boy…" Cyborg whispered.

"Look at yourself…" Raven exhaled.

"What's the big deal?" Beast Boy looked down at his pink, fleshy hands.

He paused and blinked.

_His pink fleshy hands._

_Not green._

Beast Boy quickly ran to the T-Car to see his reflection in the sparkling clean hood.

A blonde, blue-eyed kid stared back up at him.

"_Holy crap!"_


	10. Oct 4: The Holly Is A Lonely Hunter

"_Ro-----bin! Do something with your woman!" - Beast Boy_

**The Holly Is A Lonely Hunter…Owait**

**October 4th**

**Afternoon**

While wearing the suit and mask, he was no longer Jonny. He was Maverick. His suit seemed to be a mix between Slade's own and the garb of the training robots. He wore metal, gauntleted gloves and a curved shoulder bracer on his left side. His cowled mask was cloth and, also unlike Slade's, it was cut horizontally instead of vertically into orange and black. There were two white eye slits and the mouth was completely open. There was a metal 'S' over his heart and in the center of his belt. His bodysuit was orange and black and his combat boots were metal tipped. On his belt, instead of his traditional lasso, was a black, coiled grappling hook.

Kelly, now called Artemis in her uniform, was dressed very differently. Her eye mask was red and pointed up sharply on either side of her face. She wore a leather-plated skirt that was short in the front and long in the back, half boots and a sleeveless, black and orange breastplate. She also had a length of cord tied around each of her upper arms and held a stringed, silver bow nearly as tall as she was. Bolted into the body of the bow was a metal cable linked to the end of a single steel arrow that clamped conveniently down the middle of her breastplate and pointed at her belly button.

Slade, as was his custom, sat on the raised foyer and watched them with a single, analytical eye. Maverick and Artemis stood back to back as twenty or more of the orange and black training robots surrounded them.

"Remember, you are the Undergrounders." Slade told them. "A team. A unit. A family. You must think each other's thoughts and trust each other completely to succeed. You can only rely on each other. No one else." He paused to let that sink in. "Now begin!"

The training robots came to life and Maverick and Artemis leaped into action. Artemis drew her bow, notched the arrow and shot at the nearest robot. The metal arrow flew through the air and metal cable whistled behind it. The arrow impaled the robot. Even as he looked down at the projectile protruding from his chest, Artemis yanked hard on the cable. The robot flew through the air towards her super-powered fist.

BAM!

The robot was reduced to spare parts. Meanwhile, Maverick held out his hands and sang.

_Lightning started flashing_

_Thunder started crashing_

_Ooooh…white lightning!_

Electricity streaked from his hands to one of the robots, causing him to shake violently and blow up. Two robots next to him flinched and covered themselves from the concussion of the explosion.

The rest of the robots charged in. Artemis snapped her bow onto her back and held up her fists. Maverick hummed and held a flaming fire sword in his hands.

A robot jumped at Artemis, his hands laced over his head into one giant fist. Kelly caught the attack, grit her teeth and ripped both of its arms off. She kicked the armless robot in the chest, knocking him back into others. Then she threw the sparking arms at two more advancing combatants.

Maverick meltingly cleaved a robot in half from head to pelvis with his hot sword and then flew up on a current of wind before the others could converge on him. Up above their heads, he crunched the fire sword into a fireball and flung it down at the tightly packed group below.

PHOMB!

From his vantage point in the air, Maverick saw two robots diving at Artemis' unprotected back.

"Kel-" He stopped himself. "Artemis! Watch out!"

"Stop!" Slade called. The battle froze as the robots stopped and stood in place. Maverick floated back to the ground and pulled off his mask.

"That was my fault, wasn't it?" Jonny asked shamefacedly.

"Artemis' blindside is your responsibility." Slade said. "You have to protect her, just as she must protect you. Next time I won't stop it from happening."

Jonny couldn't look Artemis in the eye.

"Sorry." He muttered.

Artemis smiled reassuringly at him.

"That's why we're training, right?"

Jonny nodded, took a deep breath and slipped his mask back on.

Slade snapped his fingers.

"Restart!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Dr. Pytor Raskov and Gemini called her Project 22 but, in her mind, she was still Trish Greinke. Despite all their efforts, they still hadn't taken away her sense of self…not yet, anyway. But she was almost…_almost_…willing to give that up just to avoid a single trip to Research Room Two.

"You knew this was coming." Dr. Raskov told her. Again he led her down a Gemini hallway with light blue Gemini Guardsmen watching her every move. "You should have known better than to disrespect me in the training room yesterday."

"I think you disrespected yourself." Trish said. "I hope you had a change of pants."

"Cute." Dr. Raskov stated flatly. "I'm curious to see just how long this jocularity of yours persists. Research Room Two always seems to sober you."

Trish tried to swallow down the lump in her throat to no avail and her blood suddenly ran cold. Her chest tightened into a clamp and her stomach felt like it was filled with lead. From the moment she threw the severed tentacle arm at the window of the observation deck, Trish knew this would happen. Still, she hoped against hope that Dr. Raskov would show some kind of mercy to her.

She should have known better.

"You said you don't get personal with your test subjects." Trish tried to persuade him. "You don't get much more personal than revenge, right?"

Dr. Raskov looked over his shoulder at her, seemingly amused.

"Is that what you think this is? Revenge?" He smiled thinly. "No, this is nothing of the sort! The very first thing you must do when experimenting on lab rats is to teach them not to bite. You _will_ respect me."

Trish said nothing. She tried to walk tall and face her fate bravely. But the closer they came to the room and the more familiar the surroundings became, she began to lose her nerve. Her pace slowed and the Gemini Guardsmen had to urge her along.

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Dr. Raskov asked slimily without abating his pace.

Trish wanted to lash out at him. Call him every name under the sun. Attack him, kick him…rip out his throat. But she couldn't. The fear paralyzed her and her will broke.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out, her eyes filling with tears. "I didn't mean it! I won't ever do it again!"

Dr. Raskov stopped the little procession and turned around. He moved aside one of the Gemini Guardsmen so he could look her in the face. Trish was a good four inches taller than him, but the doctor stood and smirked as if he were ten feet tall.

"You're sorry, are you?" He smirked.

"Yes, I'm sorry! I'll do anything, okay? Just don't make me go in that room!"

Dr. Raskov's smirked broadened.

"Anything, hm? Then beg for me."

"W-what?"

"Beg me." Dr. Raskov repeated. "Get on your knees and beg me not to do it."

Trish's heart screamed no, but her body screamed yes. She hated herself for it, but she fell down to her hands and knees. She stared down at the floor and refused to look up in her shame.

"I beg you." She whispered. "Don't make me go in that room."

"What was that?"

"P-please! Don't put me in the machine!"

"I think you mean it." Dr. Raskov said through his thick accent. "That's too bad. Guards! Bring her!"

Trish raised her head.

"What are you-" The Gemini Guardsmen roughly picked her up. She struggled, but the robots held her tight. "You!" She raged. "You son of a bitch! You bastard!"

Dr. Raskov ignored her and the Gemini Guardsmen dragged her, kicking and screaming, to Research Room Two.

TTTTTTTTTT

Robin immediately put his quest to contact Maryse Gemini on hold when Cyborg called ahead over the communicator line. He and Starfire left his room and met the rest of the group in Cyborg's lab. When they got there, Cyborg was pouring over three different computer readouts as Raven looked on. Beast Boy himself was hooked up to a dozen different machines at once, covered with suction cups and a metal mask over his nose and mouth was connected to a long tube.

"Whoa." Robin blinked and did a double take.

"Tell me about it." Raven said.

Beast Boy didn't look like Beast Boy anymore. His skin was a healthy, rosy white, his eyes were blue and his shaggy hair was blonde. Even his facial structure had become leaner, losing that look of feralness it had possessed before, and his ears were smooth and round.

"Beast Boy?" Starfire gasped. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Starfire." Beast Boy stressed irritably, his voice muffled behind the mask. He turned his head to Raven. "If you stare at me any harder you're gonna burn a hole through my brain."

Raven raised her hood.

"…I assumed you were always different. I never knew you were normal."

"It's a long story." Beast Boy said. "That I'll tell you if Cyborg would get this stuff off me!"

"We have to check you, B.B." Cyborg said. "We have no idea what else that stuff might have done to you."

"But I feel fine!"

Cyborg typed.

"You might feel fine." He said. "But you don't look fine." He stopped typing. He paused. "Okay…so you look fine, too. But _you know what I mean!_"

Robin folded his arms and curiously looked over Cyborg's metal shoulder at the computer monitors. He eyed the wavy lines monitoring Beast Boy's heartbeat and blood pressure, among other things.

"What 'stuff' are we talking about?" Robin asked.

"I sent it to Dr. Sarah Charles down at Star Labs to get it analyzed." Cyborg said. "I get the feeling I'm gonna have my hands full with examining Beast Boy."

"It was some kind of green, toxic waste crud!" Beast Boy said beneath his mask. "And the barrels had Gemini on them!"

Robin's face hardened.

"Somehow I'm not surprised." He stated.

Meanwhile, a wide-eyed Starfire had been inching closer and closer to Beast Boy. She giggled when he noticed her and, somehow, it made the formerly green changeling wary.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire exclaimed. "You are adorable!" She reached out and nearly pinched his cheek off.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy moaned. "I need my face in one piece!"

"My apologies, friend, but I cannot help myself. You are just so cute! Is he not cute, Raven?"

"Absolutely resplendent." She said hollowly.

"Yes! Heheheh!" Starfire pinched him again.

"Ro-----bin!" Beast Boy whined. "Do something with your woman!"

Cyborg snickered.

"Sorry, Beast Boy." Robin said. "You'll have to live with it. I need to go torture myself again by waiting on hold."

Starfire giggled and reached for Beast Boy again.

TTTTTTTTTT

The despair of being forced into jumping off a cliff is horribly mind numbing. Trish fought back only because there were no other options available. She knew she couldn't win. The massive pain that awaited her was inevitable. She screamed and raged and let out an endless epithet of vile words. She knew the moment the string of harsh words stopped she would break down and cry. She didn't want to give Dr. Raskov the satisfaction of witnessing it.

The Gemini Guardsmen thrust Trish in to the machine. It was a solid block of steel, with a hollow molding of her body shape. Trish was put into the molding and strapped down. Across from her was an identical sheet of steel with the same molding. The sight of it squashed all hope for Trish. She clenched her eyes shut and wished it all away.

"Let's begin." Dr. Raskov said.

There was a whirring motor and, inch by inch, the two sheets of steel moved together. Trish kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to see. She didn't want to see. She didn't want to see.

Her eyes popped open. The two sheets were inches apart.

She screamed and, finally out of sight, she let out a sniveling sob.

The steel came together. It was like being suffocated and buried and alive and crushed to death, all at the same time. Every inch of Trish's body was compressed, harder and harder. She could no longer open her mouth to scream. Her tears had nowhere to go.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN.

It was everything. Nothing else mattered but her nerve endings howling at the slow torture.

Trish wanted to die. She didn't care anymore. She just wanted it to stop.

And then it did. Her overloaded brain shut down from the pain, thrusting her into blissful, merciful oblivion.

TTTTTTTTTT

The Hunter Detective Agency was nestled in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Downtown. The lease was more affordable because it was in an older part of the city, but it was close enough to Uptown for Jump City's higher class citizens to seek out the agency's services without fear.

The Agency itself was a small hole in the wall. Behind a plate glass window that read 'Hunter Detective Agency' with a bullseye superimposed on it was a tiny lobby with just enough room for a secretary desk and a few scattered waiting chairs. Sitting at the desk was a young man, bespectacled and with a cowlick in his brown hair that refused to stay down no matter what he did to it.

Upstairs was an office just as small where a woman in her early twenties lounged in a soft, swivel chair with her feet propped up on the desk. Her hair was long and blonde, pouring out in a conservative braid from beneath a burgundy fedora. She wore a long trench coat of the same color, a knee-length black skirt, a white buttoned dress shirt, silver-rimmed eyeglasses and high black boots. With bored playfulness, she balled up a piece of paper, aimed and shot it basketball-style into the waste bin across the room.

"Nice shot, Holly." Commissioner Walker said as he walked in. "It's nice to see you're keeping busy."

"Business is good enough." She said defensively. "You just caught me on a slow day."

"Right…"

The intercom on the desk buzzed and the secretary's voice came through electronically.

"_Ms, Walker! Someone just barged up the stairs to see you! I tried to stop him but-"_

"I know." Holly replied irritably. "What would I ever do without you?"

"_I don't think-"_

"It was sarcastically rhetorical!" Holly grated in to the speaker and then slammed her hand down to turn it off. She looked up at Walker. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I thought I'd come by and check out the place." Walker said. "I see you used your mother's maiden name."

"How observant of you, dad." Holly said dryly. "Maybe you should be a detective, too!"

"Yeah, yeah." The commissioner grumbled. "You're as sassy as ever. I get it." He reached into his jacket for his cigarettes.

"There's no smoking in here." Holly told him coolly.

"What? You're shittin' me!"

"Nope." Holly said. "I figure if I deprive you of nicotine, you'll hurry up and get to the point."

Walker's brow creased, deepening the wrinkles on his weather-beaten face, but then he let it pass.

"I thought I'd throw a case your way." He said instead. "It'll be better than stalking some rich guy and taking photos of him playing hide the salami with his tennis instructor…or whatever."

"Don't act like you're giving me a pity job." Holly said. "You wouldn't ask me for help unless you really needed it."

"You're too damn smart for your own good." Walker mumbled. "I need you to find out everything you can about Maryse Gemini and Gemini Industries. You got sources and contacts that I don't have access to. Send me everything you find."

"My resources are a little too low class to know anything about one of the biggest businesses…and most successfully businesswoman…in the world." Holly pointed out.

"I think you'd be surprised."

"Fine." Holly accepted. "Fifty dollars an hour. I'll fax you anything I find out. Now go away."

"It was nice seeing you again, Holly." Walker said.

Holly pretended not to hear. She flipped on the intercom.

"Jonathon!" She said through the speaker to the secretary. "Make yourself useful and bring me a double crème latte." She paused and added with a whisper: "With sprinkles."

But Commissioner Walker was already gone.

TTTTTTTTTT

Starfire finally grew tired of pinching Beast Boy's rosy cheeks and Raven had retreated to meditate or read a book or whatever it was she did when she was alone. She didn't offer that information when she left. So Cyborg and Beast Boy were alone in the lab when the full body scan drew to a close. Beast Boy fidgeted against all the wires connected to him, his blue eyes darting back and forth like a caged animal.

"Are we done yet?" He asked for the millionth time behind the metal breathing mask.

"Just a few more seconds, BB." Cyborg said. He typed and typed and typed…

Beast Boy sighed and watched him. He opened his mouth again-

"There!" Cyborg hit one last key. "All done."

"Wooooooooooo!" Beast Boy cheered. He ripped off his mask and literally leapt out of the suction cups and wires. "Finally! Freedom!"

Beast Boy looked around, stretched and hopped in place, just because he could. Then he went behind Cyborg and peered over his shoulder at the three computer monitors.

"So?" He prodded. "Am I gonna live?"

"The body scan and my diagnostics say you're fine." Cyborg said.

"See?" Beast Boy crowed. "I told you I was fine-"

"_Except,"_ Cyborg went on pointedly. "You seem to have a higher than normal leukocyte count."

"Luke-o-wut-os?"

"White blood cells." Cyborg said. "They're what fight off any infections that get in your body."

"So, like, I'm less likely to get sick, too?" Beast Boy said. "That's not just fine. It's like…double fine!"

"I think you're gonna be okay." Cyborg said. "But it's not that simple. If your white blood cell count gets too high, you could develop an auto-immune disease."

Beast Boy cocked a quizzical blonde eyebrow.

"Your leukocytes could start attacking healthy cells instead of infections." Cyborg stood up and smiled. "No big deal, though. We just need to keep an eye on it, that's all."

"Hey, Cyborg." Beast Boy said, suddenly curious.

"Yo?"

"Do you like the new me or the old me better?" He asked.

"You liked the metal me better than the holographic image of Stone, right? When I went undercover into Hive?"

"Yep." Beast Boy nodded. "You're just not as cool as a normal person."

"I like the green you better." Cyborg said. "Besides, I'm gonna miss calling you grass-stain. Now let's go to the kitchen and get some lunch. I'm starving!"

"I'll catch up in a second." Beast Boy said. Then he paused. "And don't get your meat anywhere near my tofu!" He called after him.

Now alone in the lab, Beast Boy sat down at Cyborg's work station and shut off one of the glowing computer monitors. He looked into the resulting dark glass to see his reflection.

Beast Boy had been green since he was nine years old. He'd had years to deal with it and come to terms with it. In fact, sometimes he enjoyed being different and the center of everyone's attention. But now he suddenly didn't have to. He wondered if this was how Terra felt, coming free of the rock with full control of her powers. For the first time in her life, Terra was capable of being normal and having a normal existence.

Beast Boy reached out and touched his reflection on the computer screen.

Maybe she had the right idea…


	11. Oct 4: Will Strum For Fanart

"_Soft but firm, I hope." - Aquagirl_

**Will Strum For Fanart**

**October 4th**

**Evening**

Aquagirl sat cross-legged on the medical bed in the infirmary that had become her home over the past two days. She had found a deck of cards and passed the time between soakings with games of Solitaire. The room grew dim as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, but Aquagirl enjoyed the quiet mood and didn't bother turning on any lights.

There was a knock on the door and a moment later it slid open to allow Cyborg inside.

"Hey, girl!" He smiled. "I bet-" He stopped and looked around the dark room. He rubbed the side of his head. "Um…the lights drying you out?"

"No. Just being mellow." Aquagirl flipped a card and laid it down carefully. Then she looked up at Cyborg. "I was starting to think you forgot about me. Raven brought me lunch earlier."

"That was nice of her." Cyborg said. "At least you weren't alone all day."

"I might as well have been." Aquagirl rolled her dark eyes. "Trying to get that girl to say more than two words at a time is like pulling teeth."

Cyborg laughed.

"It gets easier once she gets to know you." He said. "I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. Something kinda came up."

"That's part of being a Teen Titan, isn't it?"

"Yeah, weird stuff happens all the time." Cyborg flipped on the light switch. "Still want that tour?"

Aquagirl gathered the strewn cards in a stack, put them on the bedside table and stood up. Then they left the room together and walked the halls of Titans Tower.

"Is it always so dark?" Aquagirl asked as they went along.

"You can blame Robin for that." Cyborg said. "He's the one who set up the lighting schematics for the tower. Either he's trying to save energy or he just likes the dark."

"Or he screwed up and didn't want to admit it." Aquagirl suggested. Then she shrugged the idea off and looked up at Cyborg. "Do you like it?"

"It doesn't really matter. Dark isn't that dark to me." He pointed at his red cybernetic eye. "It's got night vision, along with like a dozen more kinds of vision. I lost track of them all sometimes."

"X-ray vision?"

Cyborg chuckled.

"You don't have to worry about me taking a peek at your underwear, if that's what you mean."

"That's good." Aquagirl said. "Because I'm not wearing any."

Cyborg did a double take, stopped and gaped at her. Aquagirl had taken several more steps down the hallway before she realized she was alone. She turned and saw Cyborg's shocked expression.

"What?" She put her hands on her hips. "Do you wear underwear with your swimming trunks?" She stopped to look at Cyborg's metal body. "Okay, maybe _you_ don't, but you get the idea!"

"Sorry." Cyborg shook himself out of his stupor. "You kinda surprised me with that."

The two of them continued their walk and he looked around.

"We could walk around these hallways forever if we don't have a destination in mind." He decided. "Where do you want to go?"

Aquagirl rubbed one of her arms.

"Didn't you say something about having a pool here?"Cyborg smiled.

"The pool it is." He led her deeper into the tower.

Not longer later, the two of them stepped into a big, cavernous gym where their footsteps echoed. Aquagirl looked around confusedly at the full length, wooden floor'd basketball court and the basketball goals hanging from the ceiling.

"Um…" Aquagirl scratched at her chin-length black hair. "This is the weirdest pool I've ever seen…I think."

Cyborg held up a sly finger, walked to a control panel next to the wall and punched in a short code. There was a whirring of motors and gears beneath their feet as the basketball court glided to one side to reveal a giant, clear blue swimming pool. Aquagirl flashed a grin, took two running steps, leaped ten feet into the air and dove right in.

SPLASH!

Cyborg watched in amazement as she swam to the far end of the pool, vaulted off the wall and popped up back at his end in what must have been less than five seconds. Aquagirl folded her arms over the edge of the pool and rested her wet head on them.

"So much better…" She sighed in contentment. Then she looked up at Cyborg. "Wanna jump in?"

"Sorry." Cyborg said. "I'm not made for the water quite as well as you are. Swimming isn't the easiest thing to do when most of your body is titanium."

"It must be cool having all those gadgets though, right?"

Cyborg looked down at his metal hands and shrugged.

"I guess. I'd probably miss'em if they were gone. But I hated them for the longest time."

"Hated them?" Aquagirl asked.

"Not the gadgets exactly." Cyborg explained. "I just hated not being normal. I still do, sometimes. It makes me kind of jealous of Beast Boy."

"Why Beast Boy?"Cyborg told her what had happened to the formerly green changeling in the bay underneath the Southern Bay Bridge.

"So you did find something." Aquagirl mused. "I thought-" She suddenly fell into a coughing fit, holding onto the edge of the poor as her shoulders and chest convulsed.

"Aquagirl! Are you okay?" Cyborg knelt down to check on her.

The fit passed. She cleared her throat and took in a deep breath.

"I'm fine." She assured Cyborg, and then went back to her original train of thought. "I thought you didn't find anything when you didn't bring it up."

"I didn't want to worry you with it until we found out exactly what it was we found." Cyborg said. "I sent it to a friend of mine at Star Labs for analysis. I'll let you know as soon as I hear from her."

"You think that toxic waste stuff was what made me all aqua'y?"

"It makes sense." Cyborg nodded. "If it can change Beast Boy's DNA enough to allow him access to his human form, there's no telling what else it could do. My guess is that it kicked your adaptation process into overdrive. And since you were in the water…"

"Why couldn't I have been thrown out of a plane? Wings would be sexier." She paused to think. "The barrels were from Gemini Industries?"

"It looks like it."

"Do you think they know anything about me?" Aquagirl asked hopefully.

Cyborg grimly shook his head.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. I think the waste barrels being there when you fell were just a coincidence."

Aquagirl's face fell, but then she shrugged. She dove beneath the water and then shot up like a leaping dolphin. She landed with a drippy splat next to Cyborg.

"I think I've soaked enough." She said. "Where to next?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonny's acoustic guitar was old, beaten and dented The pick guard was loose and the reddish brown, cherry wood finish was scratched away beneath it from years of strumming just a little too hard. It was the kind of thing one wouldn't give a second glance to. Despite its humble appearance, however, the sound it produced was still crisp and beautiful.

Jonny sat on the bed in his new subway car home, his legs dangling off and cradling the instrument to himself in a gentle, almost loving manner. He cocked his head to the side, plucking each string and carefully twisting the silver tuning keys. Kelly sat across from him, her knees drawn up and a notepad balanced on her lap. Her tongue crept out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. She would go to work slowly with her pencil, pause and start again.

"I haven't played this thing since I got here." Jonny said and rubbed his palm along the face of the guitar. "It'd be a shame if I let myself get rusty. If nothing else, Crystal would knock me over the head with that laptop computer of hers."

"She likes to hear you play it?" Kelly asked. She glanced only briefly at him before returning her attention back to her notepad.

"That, too, I reckon." Jonny quietly strummed a few chords. "But we have a bit of an arrangement together. I play and she sings."

"You don't like to sing?"

"I like it just fine. I'm just not that good at it." Jonny said. "Crystal's got a voice like an angel."

"You should start a band." Kelly suggested.

"I tried to talk her into it a few times, but she wouldn't go for it." Jonny shook his head. "Crystal's shy about her voice. She only sings for people she knows really well."

"That's too bad."

Silence fell between them. Kelly was absorbed in her notebook while Jonny picked out a soft melody. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, allowing them to enjoy each other's presence without feeling the need to talk. Jonny's fingers danced along the neck of the guitar. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, allowing himself to absorb the music. Kelly stared intensely at her notebook, her pencil gliding carefully across the page.

Jonny finished the somber song in a minor key with one last chord strum. He peeked open one eye to see Kelly absorbed in her notepad. He smirked and played a much quicker and much more recognizable arrangement. Kelly looked up at him.

"Was that the Super Mario theme?" She asked.

"Yes'm." Jonny winked. "Just making sure you were paying attention."

Kelly laughed.

"Whatcha writing?" Jonny asked.

"I'm drawing something. And no-" She caught him leaning forward and pressed the notepad to her chest. "You can't see it until I'm finished."

Jonny smiled and went to playing his guitar again. He played a faster, catchier tune this time, tapping his boot on the floor as a kind of counter beat. He finished it with a complicated riff and slapped the strings into silence.

"You're pretty good." Kelly told him.

"I've played for a long time." He shrugged off the compliment. "Done with your picture yet?"

"One second." Kelly pursed her lips as she added some last minute detail. Then she scribbled something at the bottom of the page. "There. All done." She ripped the page out of the notebook and handed it to Jonny.

"Whoa," Jonny had to catch his breath when he looked at it. "This is amazing…"

The black and white portrait was exquisitely drawn. It was of himself, sitting and holding the guitar. As lifelike as it was…and it was incredibly detailed…that wasn't what took his breath away. The left side of the pictured cowboy was clear and smiling with a twinkle in his eye. The right side was shaded darkly. The smiling mouth curved down into a sorrowful frown and a single tear dripped down his cheek. At the bottom of the page was her signature and in a cartoon style in the upper right corner was a doodle of Mario hopping into a question mark block.

"Kelly…" Jonny said thickly. "I've never seen anything like this before. You should be doing this professionally or something!"

"It's just a hobby." Kelly said modestly, though her voice was pleased with his reaction.

Jonny looked closer at the picture. He ran his forefinger down the tear streaked, darkened part of the picture.

"This shaded part," he said. "Why-"

Kelly reached out and patted Jonny's leg.

"I just draw what I see." She said simply.

TTTTTTTTTT

Cyborg showed Aquagirl the evidence room, the training room and ended the tour of Titans Tower with the main room. Robin was talking to a mustached man on the big screen when they came in.

"How did you get in to see her, commissioner?" Robin was saying.

"She arranged it herself." Commissioner Walker said through a cloud of cigarette smoke. "She knew it would look suspicious if she didn't talk to at least one of us. She picked me because she thought I'd be easier to deal with. She probably figured I was a lazy bastard who didn't do anything but sit in an office all day while you and your freak parade did all the real work."

Robin smirked.

"I bet you showed her just how wrong she was really quick."

"Dayum straight!" Walker exhaled. "I had to put that hussy in her place. She thought she was gonna walk all over me."

"I get the feeling Miss Maryse Gemini is used to walking over most people." Robin said. "Have your men finished excavating the bay bottom?"

"Yeah. We recovered ten barrels of the green vomit crap. All with the Gemini logo, like you said."

"Is it enough to get a search warrant?" Robin asked. "I get the feeling we can save ourselves a lot of headaches later if we find out what secrets the Gemini Building is hiding now."

"For anyone else it would be enough." Walker said. "But Miss Gemini has more lawyers than I do officers. They're already spinning it, saying an independent company is responsible for the disposal of their hazardous waste, thus clearing them of any wrongdoing...or some crap. Anyway, I don't think we'll be able to make it stick."

"What's the name of the 'independent' company? Maybe I can find something out."

"Don't worry your spiky little head over it." Commissioner Walker said around his cigarette. "I got my best man on it…woman…wutever. If I find anything out, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, commissioner." Robin nodded. "We'll do the same. Titans, out."

"Yeah, yeah. Go make out with your alien chick."

Robin sweat dropped, coughed and cut the transmission. Then he turned, walked to Cyborg and Aquagirl and shook the young girl's hand.

"I'm Robin." He introduced himself with a friendly smile. "It's nice to see you out of bed."

"Very much so!" Starfire swooped in from the kitchen. "How does your chest feel?"

Aquagirl shrugged.

"Soft but firm, I hope." She answered.

Starfire blinked.

Robin blinked.

Cyborg blinked.

Aquagirl blinked.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat. "It's still a little sore. I feel a lot better, though."

"Glorious!" Starfire exulted. "You shall be healthy in no time!"

"Have you remembered anything?" Robin asked.

Aquagirl silently shook her head.

"Keep trying." Robin advised sympathetically. "The mind is a muscle like any other. The more you work it, the better results you'll get."

"Perhaps my vol'jinn kra'tt would help." Starfire suggested eagerly. "It is a delicacy on my planet that is said to improve brain function. I already have the fungus cultivated, if you would like to try it."

"F-fungus?" Aquagirl tried to digest that…or not. "Maybe another time…"

"Hehe!" Cyborg snickered heartily. "What's the matter, Aquagirl? You look a little green around the gills! Hahahah!"

While Cyborg laughed at his own joke, Aquagirl gestured with a look of concentration. A glob of water came out of the kitchen faucet, formed into a ball and sped through the air to splash into Cyborg's surprised face.

"You _totally_ deserved that!" Aquagirl said.

Robin and Starfire laughed.

TTTTTTTTTT

Every bit of Trish's skin was a dark purple and her numerous, uncountable scars glowed a bright, brilliant blue. The combination made her look much more like an alien from another planet than a young human girl. She was locked tight in her room inside the Gemini Building, but it didn't matter. The door could have been wide open with a glowing arrow pointing to the nearest exit. Trish couldn't move an inch. She was curled up in the fetal position on her cot, facing the wall. It hurt too much to sob, but the tears streamed openly down her face.

The door to the white, streamlined cell opened behind her. Trish couldn't look to see who it was, but she already knew.

"The pain must be intolerable." Dr. Pytor Raskov commented. "Every breath an agony. I couldn't imagine it myself."

Trish said nothing. She tried to think nothing.

"A full body, deep flesh bruise." Dr. Raskov continued. "There are people who would die from the pain alone, let along the internal bleeding. But you're not like normal people, are you? In fact, you're not a person at all."

Trish's body tensed.

"Sh-shut up…" She forced out between grit teeth.

"You know it's true. That's why you don't want to hear it." The mad scientist leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You are Project 22, just as your sister is Project 23. You are not people. You are not human beings. Ever since you arrived here, you are nothing but experiments. The sooner you accept that, the easier this process will be."

Trish shuddered, making her hurt all the more.

"Why are y-you doing this?"

"You must think your genetic mutation is a curse." Dr. Raskov straightened and paced leisurely around the room. "You don't see just how wonderful it really is. The power to absorb and use kinetic energy…extraordinary. Extraordinary. Could you imagine how the world would change if we could find a way to emulate your ability through technological means? Think about it: Free and limitless energy to the whole world! Food and shelter for everyone! No more pollution! A perfect human world."

He paused as if savoring the idea.

"Now, can you tell me…in all honesty…that one ill-tempered girl is worth more than that? We both know you're not. The sooner you accept what you are…and what you are not…the smoother this process will go. The sooner you can bring happiness to the world."

"A-and then what?"

"And then?" Dr. Raskov mused. "Then you'll no longer be needed and will be disposed of. You can't be connected to Gemini, of course. It would raise too many questions we aren't prepared to answer. But you can die knowing you left the world better than you found it. How many people can truly say the same?"

Trish sniffed but didn't reply.

"It's frustrating, isn't it?" Dr. Raskov asked. "It must be. Look at your scars, glowing so bright with the energy you collected from Research Room Two. I didn't bring any Gemini Guardsmen with me, as if it would matter if I did. You have the power right now to rip me in half like a piece of paper. You could smash through the walls…save for the diasteel doors, of course…as if they were made of sand and make your escape. We would find you, of course, but just a breath of freedom would be sweet, wouldn't it?

"Only you can't, can you?" He went on. "The pain is so much that you can't move. All that power, and right now you can't even crush a fly. Pathetic. Sad. By the time you've healed enough to use it, the power will have dissipated. It's too bad you can't find a way store it, hm? And then we'll do it all over again.

"The rest of your life will be filled with pain. Nothing can stop that now. But I can regulate it somewhat. Perhaps make you more comfortable…give you a better room…that sort of thing. Druj and Afreet…two other projects of mine…have a similar arrangement. They do what I ask and, in return, they get certain privileges. Wouldn't you like to join them?"

Trish cried and shook but refused to answer. She would never answer.

"You fool. I'll leave you alone with your pain to think about it. You seem to love it so."

As soon as she heard the door close, Trish let out a heart-wrenching wail.


	12. Oct 4: Queen Of The Road

"_Hold on to your panties and don't piss in'em!" - Holly_

**Queen Of The Road**

**October 4****th**

**Late Night**

Crystal sat in her dark bedroom, leaning against the headboard with her laptop computer glowing and softening the black around her. Her left hand danced along the keyboard while her right dragged a mouse along the mattress beside her. On the screen was a video game that depicted a green stable next to a bubbling brook and a blue flag waving proudly. She manipulate her avatar - a human woman in glowing plate armor and wielding a giant, two-handed axe - to and fro across the screen in a streak of red, bashing a green orc attacking her with a bow and arrow and a spell casting undead zombie. Other characters with green names over them rushed over the bridged brook on horseback.

"I could use some help at Stables, folks!" She said into the wireless headset she wore. "I swear! How hard is it to fight at the flags?!"

The battle ended then and a prompt came up that read _'Horde Wins'_.

Crystal sighed. She clicked off the game and dropped her headset. She sat there and stared at the home screen, roaming her eyes over the program icons. On a whim, she clicked on the mail bin.

_You have zero new mail._

Crystal scrolled down and clicked on the _'Bulk Mail'_ folder.

_Free prescriptions here!_

Delete.

_Hot girls near you!_

Delete.

_Adfdkinsiderstocktipsadfakj_

Delete.

_From Jonny_

Del-

Crystal stopped in the process of pressing the button and pursed her lips as she reread the mail title. Then she smiled and double clicked on it.

_Dear Crystal,_

_I hope everything's going all right. I miss you and mom and Tim and Melody, of course._

No mention of dad, of course.

_Give her a kiss for me, will you?_

Way ahead of you on that one, Jonny.

_Things are looking good here in the city. I had kind of a rocky start, but I've already met a great friend that's helping me out._

That somehow didn't surprise her. Crystal was half convinced her brother could make friends with an angry rattlesnake if he tried hard enough.

_I've found a job, but I'll have to find a new place to stay if I want everything to be ready. Hopefully I'll get everything squared away soon and the family can come up here. I know you want to get away from the ranch and see the city almost as much as I did. I think you'd fit in a lot better here than I would. But I digress, I reckon. I just wanted to let you know I'm here, safe and sound and in one piece. Tell Melody I love her._

_Love, Jonny._

Crystal sat there in the glowing dark, absorbing the letter. And then a vine of excitement bloomed in her chest at the thought of traveling to the city. It made her smile that Jonny thought she would be a good fit there. She and Jonny had often fantasized about escaping the ranch and the things they would do in the city and all the interesting people they would meet.

Jonny said he had found a job, which meant it wouldn't be long until she would get to go to the city and see him. Crystal felt happier than she had in a long, long time just thinking about it. Then she put aside her computer, stood up and walked out of the room.

She had a kiss to deliver.

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonathon awkwardly drove a bright pink Volkswagen Beetle through the dark streets of Jump City. He coughed on thick tobacco smoke and cracked open his window. Holly Walker lounged in the passenger seat and nursed a cigarette, completely ignoring her companion's discomfort. There was a steady downpour outside and the windshield wipers squeaked, squeaked, squeaked.

"I can't believe I'm going to a stakeout in this thing." She complained.

"It seems like a nice enough car to me." Jonathon said politely.

"Of course it is. It kicks ass! The problem is that it sticks out like a first person shooter on the Wii!" Holly shook her head. "I can't believe you don't have a car. How the hell do you get to work everyday, anyway?"

Jonathon smiled proudly.

"I own a Vespa LX 150." He announced.

"What the hell is that?"

Jonathon hesitantly glanced at her.

"I-it's a moped…" He said.

Holly laughed harshly.

"Like one of those ghei scooter things!?"

"It's not gay." Jonathon sounded a little hurt. "I like it, anyway…"

Holly flicked ashes out of the window.

"The only grown men who ride those things are drunks who got their license taken away."

"I don't drink…"

Why don't you just man-up and get a motorcycle?" Holly asked him.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous those things are?" Jonathon gasped. "I knew someone once who-"

"Whatever." Holly said.

Jonathon frowned, but he remained silent.

They drove through the seedier part of the Tech District. The skyscrapers and glass office buildings could be seen in the distance, but the streets they cruised through were the brick and stone buildings that were the headquarters for the larger local businesses. The streets were gray and stark and gleamed darkly beneath the harsh yellow streetlights. They passed a woman in heavy makeup and nearly bare legs. She held an umbrella over her head and stood in the dusky halo of a streetlight. Jonathon determinedly avoided her with his eyes until they had passed.

They continued the drive along the fringe of the Tech District and into the Waterfront. Holly reached into the glove box and pulled a computer into her lap. She clicked and peered at a map.

"Turn left here." She said.

Jonathon silently obeyed. He was uneasy just being there. The Waterfront was a dark, dirty and grimy place filled with soggy, rotting warehouses.

"Pull over here." Holly said.

Jonathon looked around at the blank walls of the muddy alleyway.

"This can't be the place." He said.

"Just do it." Holly snapped. "And cut the headlights."

Jonathon did as he was told.

"Since when was I your driver, anyway?" He complained. "I thought I was just your secretary."

"You're my assistant." Holly said. "Consider it a promotion."

"Do I get paid more?"

"…Don't consider it a promotion." She pointed outside her window at a huge mud puddle. "Now get out and cover the car with mud."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

Jonathon opened the door and stepped out into the pouring rain. His hair and clothes were soaked within seconds. He walked around the car, looked down in disgust at the mud puddle and reluctantly reached down and grabbed a handful of slimy mud. He turned and, perhaps deliberately, threw it with a thump at the passenger side window.

"H-hey!" Holly cracked open her car door just enough to yell at him. "Not the windows, idiot! We need to see! Just cover up the pink parts…and no, that's not a euphemism!" She slammed the door shut.

Jonathon sighed and went to his wet, miserable, dirty work. Ten minutes later, covered up to the elbows in filth, he finished covering the car. He wiped his hands on his shirt and opened the car door.

"Unless you want to be castrated, don't get any mud in here!" Holly told him as he climbed in.

"What's it matter? I just slopped it all over the outside!"

"Don't think that didn't hurt my feelings!" Holly said unconvincingly. "But it's okay: You can wash it in the morning. Now keep the headlights off and let's go."

Jonathon dejectedly obeyed. The now dark car crept stealthily along the Waterfront. Holly pointed at a dumpster and her assistant dutifully parked the camouflaged car behind it. Across the way, a light burned inside a rickety warehouse, the outside smeared with tar to keep it from absorbing wet air. Jonathon gave it a single glance and frowned.

"What's so special about this place? It's a dump."

"It's special _because_ it's a dump." Holly told him. "You heard the Titans found toxic waste in the bay this morning, right?"

"I saw it on the news earlier." Jonathon nodded.

"My dad linked them to Gemini and-"

"Wait." Jonathon interrupted. "Who?"

"The Commissioner." Holly sighed. "Try to keep up. The stuff was from Gemini. Anyway, it's being all covered up. Maryse Gemini says an independent contractor was hired to dispose of the toxic waste. _This_ is who she hired."

"Why would the richest woman in the world hire such a cruddy place?"Holly smirked.

"So you do have a little bit of a brain." She said approvingly. "It's a dummy corporation. It allows Gemini to illegally dump their crap and, if they get caught, someone else takes the fall."

Jonathon looked at the lighted warehouse.

"But why would these guys agree to it? They'll be the ones in jail."

"I'm sure Gemini paid them a lot of money." Holly shrugged. "Besides, they're just grunts. They probably don't even realize they're patsies."

Holly thrust the laptop computer at Jonathon and reached into the glove box again. She held a small, metal piece between her thumb and forefinger to show to him.

"I guess it's too much to hope you know how to plant one of these things?" She asked him.

"I don't even know what that is."

"Figures," Holly sighed. "All right, stay here while I plant this thing. And don't do anything stupid."

She stepped out of the car and closed the door as quietly as possible. The private eye trotted through the rain and quickly found cover beneath the building's rusty overhanging. She crept along the wall and carefully peeked into the glowing window near the door.

The inside was just as shoddy as the outside. The floor was damp, emotionless concrete with green puddles of old water stagnating in the uneven debits, evidence of lazy workmanship. The building was empty and open with a high ceiling supported by rotting timbers. A single, cymbal-shaped light hung from the ceiling and shone down in a ring on a cheap, felt table.

Three men sat around the table with colored chips in front of them, holding cards close to their chests and eyeing each other suspiciously.

"All in." One of them said flatly, his face like ice. He pushed all his chips into the middle of the table. The other two players looked hesitantly at each other and folded in unison.

"Damn it, Rick!" One of them said in frustration. "You got the best poker face I've ever seen!"

"Yeah!" The second player put in his two cents. "It's flippin' unfair! How do you do it?"

"You just have to learn to control your emotions." Rick said as he shuffled the deck lethargically.

"Bullshit! I don't even think you _have_ emotions!"

Rick glanced at the man, but then he shrugged.

"It amounts to the same thing." Rick looked over at the last of them, sitting apart from the table in a dimly lit corner. "Come play a couple hands, Jeff."

"Later." The man in the corner mumbled as he pulled an armband tight with his teeth. "I have something better to play with right now! Hehehe!" He produced a syringe filled with red liquid. He stuck the needle into one of his pulsating veins, made visible by the tight armband, and injected it into himself. He shivered at first as if he were suddenly cold, but then he shuddered with a strange mix of pleasure and relief.

"Just keep your stupid thoughts to yourself." Rick said. "You creep me out when you start seeing shit."

"I see _everything!_" Jeff giggled.

Rick grunted sourly, but didn't comment.

Outside, Holly held the tiny microphone up to her face and whispered: "Is this piece of junk working? Can you hear me?"

Inside the mud-covered car, Holly's voice emitted from the laptop computer in Jonathon's lap. He looked over the computer and, seeing no visible speakers or microphones, nervously pointed out his chin and replied.

"Um…y-yes? I can hear you."

"Good. Now shut up."

Holly ducked under the window and shimmied along the wall to the door. She reached out and slowly - ever so slowly - twisted the doorknob. The lock slid with a metal, silent grating and the latch clicked. Holly winced and peeked through the window, but none of the men inside gave any indication that they had heard.

Holly opened the door, inch by inch, until it was cracked just enough to slip her arm inside. She held the tiny microphone in her hand, reached to the coat rack just inside and slipped the microphone in one of the jacket pockets.

"Rick!" Jeff stumbled across the room in a drunken stupor. He shuffled and all but fell on the man he was hailing. Rick grunted and shoved him to the floor, but Jeff was undeterred. "Rick! I see her!"

Holly's heart stopped and she held her breath.

"What? Who?"

"The girl from the other night!" Jeff stared at empty air with glazed eyes. "She's not swimming anymore!"

Rick rolled his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Go find something to do, you jackass!"

Holly let out a breath of relief. With the hidden microphone planted, she snaked her hand back out the door and closed it.

CLICK!

Rick's face jerked to the door.

"What the hell was that?" Rick ran to the door with his men close behind. He grabbed his coat as he went and flung it on as he was met with the cool night air.

Holly was already gone. She sat in the passenger seat of her mud-covered car with Jonathon in the dark. She held he breath and looked out the window at Rick as he stared through the gloom. Rick's cold eyes looked left and right and, for the briefest of moments they met Holly's gaze. Then the moment was over and he continued to look around. He did it so smoothly that most would have believed the moment never happened, but Holly knew better. Rick's voice suddenly came over the computer.

"_You two go back in and clear out everything you can from the storage room." _They heard Rick whispered as he pretended to continue his search. _"I'll take this slobbering fool and take care of these guys. We'll meet you at the safe house."_

"Go!" Holly shouted.

"But-"

"Turn on the lights and floor it! Now!"

Jonathon flipped on the lights and slammed his foot down on the gas. Tires screeched and the mud-covered Volkswagon roared down the alley.

"_Damnit! Get to the car! Get to the car!"_

Jonathon drove to the end of the Waterfront, turned and thumpthumpthumped over a rickety dock front. Behind them a pair of headlights flashed from a chasing dark sedan.

"There!" Holly pointed at a narrow alleyway. "Turn in there!"

"We're going too fast to make it!" Jonathon said shrilly, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.

"The hell we are!" Holly jerked the wheel hard. The car turned, slid and shot down the alley. "Who taught you how to drive? Your grandma?"

"…I'm trying my best here…!"

BLAM! BLAM!

Two gunshots rang out and ricocheted off the walls of the alleyway. Jonathon shrieked and took his hands completely off the steering wheel. The car scraped and sparked along the wall before he regained his composure and snatched the wheel back up.

"_What'd you stop for?"_ Rick's voice came over the hidden microphone. _"Keep shooting!"_

"_Man, I see her!"_ It was Jeff's slurred voice. _"A bird swooped down and grabbed her out of the water. A bird!"_

"_Shut the hell up and shoot!"_

"Let me drive!" Holly demanded.

"W-what?"

"I'll sit in your lap, take the wheel and you can slide over here!"

"Uh…"

"Don't be a baby!" Holly was already scrunching over. "You can fantasize about this later! Now look out!"

Jonathon grunted as Holly all but jumped into his lap. The car swerved as they disentangled their elbows and legs and Jonathon finally crawled over to the passenger side. Holly settled in, turned hard out of the alleyway and throttled down the main road that lead back towards the Tech District.

BLAM! BLAM!

Jonathon let out a short scream and covered his head as a pair of bullets impacted the trunk.

"Stop being such a pansy!" Holly shouted. "Those weren't even close! Now look in the glove box and grab the gun!"

"What?"

"I'm not talking in euphemisms! Grab the gun and return fire!"

Jonathon pulled the pistol out and looked at it as if it were a live snake. He rolled down the window and stuck the gun out, aiming without even looking. He flinched and pulled the trigger.

"…………"

Nothing happened. He brought the gun back inside and blinked at it.

"Give it here!" Holly snatched it from him. Even as she drove at breakneck speed with one hand, she used the other to click off the safety, roll the gun chamber and pull back the firing mechanism. "There! Point and shoot!"

Jonathon took the gun back, gulped and returned fire.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Holly drove on through the rain. She swerved in and out of what traffic she could find at the late hour, but Rick and the dark sedan continued their pursuit. She blurred up to a stop light with a dozen cars clogging the road. Jonathon turned back just in time to see the car bumpers rushing up to them.

He screamed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Holly jerked the wheel and the car swerved and rode along the sidewalk instead. Rick followed behind and the two cars raced down the narrow strip , sending mailboxes and trashcans flying. The mud-covered Volkswagon clipped a fire hydrant as it went by. Water gushed out and quenched the dark sedan as it zoomed past.

"_Hehehehehe!"_ They heard Jeff giggle giddily. _"There she is again!"_

"_Just shoot damn it!"_

_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

The last shot shattered the passenger side mirror and made Jonathon shriek again.

"Enough of this shit!" Holly growled as she pulled off the sidewalk and back onto the road. She held out her hand without looking. "Jonathon! Give me the gun! And don't say what!"

"…w-what?"

She snatched the pistol from him even as she sliced through an intersection.

"All right!" She braced herself. "Hold on to your panties and don't piss in'em!"

Holly turned the wheel hard to the right and pulled the emergency brake. The car slid and squealed on the wet tires one hundred eighty degrees until it's front faced the dark sedan. Holly stuck the pistol out of the window and aimed through the windshield.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Three of the shots slammed into the sedan's engine and the fourth popped the front tire. Holly released the emergency brake and the car finished it's three sixty turn and continued impossibly down the road. The popped front tire of the sedan sent it turning hard to the right and Rick and Jeff smashed into a tall lamppost. The post broke over the bumper and crashed into the roof.

As they rode away Holly lit a cigarette in satisfaction.

"So," she said to a dizzy and disoriented Jonathon. "How did you like your first job out of the office?"

Jonathon groaned and slumped against the car door.

"I think I'm looking forward to washing the car tomorrow…"

Holly smirked.


	13. Oct 5: Midnight Melee

"_We'll go flying." - Jonny_

**October 5th**

**Early Morning**

**Midnight Melee**

It felt a little weird for Jonny to share a bed with Kelly. Perhaps if they had slept apart with their backs facing each other he would've felt less awkward, but that just wasn't Kelly's style; she was a snuggler.

It made sense, of course. It was October and nights in the hidden subway station were cold and drafty. Kelly would cuddle up her warm body to Jonny's and lay her head on his shoulder and it suddenly wasn't cold anymore. They would talk quietly, lying in each other's arms until one or both of them fell asleep.

While Jonny had no real objections to this, he couldn't help but feel his relationship with Kelly was somehow unnatural. It was like hitting a baseball and running straight for third base; they were skipping steps. Although he had only known Kelly for a few days, Jonny had a special connection with her. There was a loving bond between them and an intense intimacy that somehow existed between them that wasn't necessarily built on romantic feelings.

Though that didn't mean Jonny didn't think about Kelly that way. It was hard not to, really. Kelly's touch was warm and soft. She slept in a not so long tee shirt that Jonny couldn't help but notice showed off her long, toned legs. Jonny normally slept in just his boxer shorts but, when he found out he would be sharing a bed with his new friend, he had opted to keep on his jeans for propriety's sake. But Kelly would have none of it. She was a notorious snuggler and the denim was rough on her legs. So even that tiny barrier between them was stripped away.

Kelly also had a severe lack of modesty. They shared a room and she showed absolutely no embarrassment or hesitation in changing clothes right in front of the flabbergasted cowboy. Jonny tried to look away each time and give her privacy, but his inner gentlemen only went so far. He found himself wondering if Kelly's blasé attitude about nudity was a result of self-confidence in her body - which she had absolutely no reason not to be - or if it was just with him in which she felt comfortable enough to expose herself. The answer was terribly important for a reason Jonny couldn't quite put his finger on, but he never asked.

They were infinitely times closer than they had any right to be after only meeting a few days ago. They acted like old lovers. It was entirely Kelly's fault. Her openness and affection had eaten away at the tentative barrier Jonny subconsciously had to keep strangers at a bit of a distance. There was a kind of feeling out period when he first met someone; a kind of cautious banter that sometimes went for days until he felt comfortable with them and trusted them. Kelly had bypassed all of that immediately and had earned a place for herself in Jonny's heart.

Jonny was asleep in their shared subway car room and it was many hours before dawn. He was content and happy, lying on his back with Kelly huddled up to his side. He had been dreaming, but about what he couldn't say. And then he couldn't breathe.

"!!!!!!!!!!"

_Can't breathe!_

Jonny's eyes popped open to see a black and orange masked face over him. One of Slade's training robots throttled him, squeezing his throat with hard metal hands. Jonny struggled, but the robot held him tight. He couldn't call out and his oxygen deprived brain couldn't think of a song. Black spots danced teasingly in front of his eyes.

_Help me, Amber!_

And then Kelly was there.

WHAM!

She knocked the robot's head off with a single, super-powered punch. The decapitated carcass of the robot released Jonny and fell ponderously to the floor. Jonny gasped, coughed and sucked in air.

"T-thanks…" He choked out.

Kelly was about to reply when the train lurched and began to chug forward.

"We're moving!" Jonny said. "What's going on?"

Kelly looked around the dark room grimly.

"This must be some kind of training session Slade thought up."

"But why now?" Jonny wanted to know.

"He probably wants to see how we'll do when we're not ready." Kelly said. "You don't have your lasso and I don't have my bow." She licked her lips. "This way!" She decided.

Jonny followed her to the next car.

"Where are we going?"

"The robots will be here any second." Kelly explained. "I don't want to destroy our room dealing with them."

Jonny followed her into an antechamber between two subway cars. Kelly climbed up a ladder and Jonny did the same, careful not to look up. When the two of them emerged onto the roof the subway train had worked its way up to full speed. Jonny shivered as the whooshing cold air whipped against his bare skin and tugged at his hair. The edge of Kelly's tee shirt billowed and danced over her thighs.

And then, just as Kelly had predicted, the black and orange robots showed up. They appeared all at once as a unit, as they always did. Some climbed up similar hatches Jonny and Kelly had used to come up while others climbed up from the side windows. When it was all said and done, twenty or more robots stood on the roof on either side of them.

"I'll handle this!" Jonny said confidently. He grabbed Kelly by the shoulders and maneuvered her in front of him. With her in a safe place, he planted his feet and stretched out his palms in opposite directions at both groups of robots. Then he sang:

"_Blow blow Seminole wind! Blow like you're never gonna again!"_

Twin wind funnels shot out of each of his palms. They sent both groups of robots sliding and tumbling, but only a few fell completely off the train. Claws emerged from their hands, scraping the metal roof of the train to slow themselves. Sharp spikes came out of the soles of their feet, planting them in place and allowing them to advance despite the gusts.

Jonny allowed the wind to die out.

"Didn't see that coming." He muttered.

Kelly clenched her fists.

"Looks like we're gonna have to get our hands dirty." She said.

Jonny hummed and a flashing whip of electricity appeared in his hand.

"I reckon so."

"Go!" Kelly shouted.

They charged down the train in opposite directions, each at a different group of robots. Kelly punched through two robots and then stumbled as a third jumped on her back. The robot wrapped his arms around her throat in an effort to choke her, but Kelly reached behind her head and grabbed him. She slammed him hard onto the roof of the train, spun and flung him into the rest of the group.

Jonny arced his electric whip around the ankle of a robot and pulled hard, yanking his legs our from underneath him and sending him falling. The boxer clad cowboy jerked the whip free, twirled it over his head and slashed it into the chest of another. Then he went to the well once to often. When Jonny attacked with the whip again, a robot lifted his gauntleted arm to block. The electric whip smoldered and wrapped around his forearm. Jonny pulled, but the robot's spiked feet kept him place.

Jonny sweat dropped.

YANK!

The black and orange robot pulled harder. Jonny was sent stumbling forward into a metal knuckled punch. He fell hard on the roof of the train, his head bouncing off the metal. When Jonny blinked away the stars, the robot was already on top of him. He laced his metal fists over his head, preparing to deliver a finishing blow.

Jonny winced.

WHAM!

A low hanging sign blurred by, decapitating the robot. Jonny craned his neck to look behind to see Kelly fighting her own group of her robots, her back facing the incoming sign. He gasped.

"Kelly! He yelled. "Down!"

Their training and trust saved her. She didn't turn to look at him or what he might be talking about. Kelly dove to her belly instantly without thought. The sign passed harmlessly over her and slammed into the group of robots she had been fighting. With their robot attackers taken care of, Kelly walked over to Jonny and easily pulled him up.

"I don't know what kind of test that was supposed to be." Jonny said as he rubbed the tender knot on the back of his head. "But I'd say we passed."

"I don't think it's over yet. The train isn't taking us back." Kelly pointed out. "Slade is using it to take us somewhere.

Jonny turned to look at the tracks they were leaving behind. He forgot about his sore head and rubbed his bare arms for warmth.

"But where?" He pondered.

As the cowboy mulled that over, Kelly looked ahead to find a tunnel bearing down on them. It crowded heavily around the upcoming track and was made of closely bound stone blocks, built to supply extra support to whatever was above. The top of the opening was a low arch with only a few feet of clearance between it and the train roof. Jonny was turning back to her when she sprang into action.

"Get down!" She called out as she pounced him. They fell together as the train whooshed into the low tunnel.

It had been dark before, but it was impossible to see a thing inside the tunnel. Kelly lay on top of Jonny in the pitch blackness, their cheeks pressed together as the cold air slid over them. It was the warmest Jonny had been since being so rudely pulled out of bed. Then the tunnel ended and the world returned. He found himself staring up into Kelly's big, pretty eyes.

Neither of them moved for a moment in time that was a brief eternity. Jonny finally swallowed softly.

"..Kelly?"

"Y-yes?"

"I think we've stopped."

Kelly looked up to find that he was right. The train had stopped at a brightly lit station, though the steps that would lead up to street level were paved over. She climbed off of Jonny and pulled him to his feet again.

"There's nothing here." Jonny said as he looked around. Despite the fact it looked less damaged than the other train stops he had seen, there was nothing of note. It was big and empty with supporting columns, an abandoned ticket booth and faded poster advertisements falling and peeling off the tiled walls.

"I doubt it." Kelly hopped down from the train roof to the edge of the platform. "Slade wouldn't bring us here for no reason."

Jonny floated down on a current of wind to land beside her. The section of floor he landed on sank just a fraction and gave an audible click. He looked down at it in confusion and then the laser turret that emerged from the far wall.

"Head's up!" He bit off.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

Jonny and Kelly took cover behind adjacent stone columns.

"My bow would be _really_ useful right now!" Kelly complained.

"I got it." Jonny said. He hummed and held a fireball in his palm. He peeked carefully around the column and threw it at the laser turret.

PHOMB!

The turret exploded into a half melting, twisted mess.

"The whole room must be booby trapped. Be careful where you step." Kelly warned.

"That's not gonna be a problem." Jonny hummed a short tune under his breath and felt his feet rise off the ground. When he was a foot or so above the floor, he stopped his ascent and floated over to where Kelly still stood by her column. She reached out and took hold of his outstretched hand.

"This'll likely blow your shirt up." Jonny told her. "You might want to get your Marilyn Monroe pose ready." Then he sang. _"Wild as the wind is love!"_

Kelly gasped and caught her breath when invisible winds lifted her into the air. She gripped Jonny's hand tighter and flailed back as if she expected to fall, but the wind supported her. Jonny winced in her super powered vise grip, but Kelly loosened her hold on him when she realized she wasn't going anywhere. She looked down and flashed a credulous grin.

"I'm flying!" She marveled.

"Not exactly." Jonny said. "We're being held up by wind, that's all."

"Isn't that how birds fly?"

Jonny blinked. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I reckon so." He murmured. "Good point."

The cowboy looked around the room and peered suspiciously at the ticket booth across the way. He and Kelly floated towards it.

"Wh-whoa!" Kelly teetered uncertainly.

Jonny stopped them in midair.

"Relax." He assured her. "Holding you with wind is no different than holding you with my arms. I got you."

Kelly looked at him.

"You can feel the wind?" She asked.

"Yes'm." He nodded.

Kelly smirked and raised a raven eyebrow at him.

"So you're _groping_ me right now?"

Jonny blushed and yet again rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ahem!" He coughed awkwardly. "N-not exactly."

Kelly laughed and fondly patted his cheek.

The current of wind led them forward again.

WHAM!

A metal compress slammed down where they had been just a moment before, leaving a square crater in the concrete floor. Jonny and Kelly turned to stare at the sight.

"I don't get it." Jonny said. "How did we trigger that one? We didn't touch anything."

Kelly scanned the room with her eyes, squinting heavily.

"What are you doing?" Jonny asked her.

"The Nanomachines reacted differently to me. They bonded with my muscles and made them stronger."

"Right," Jonny nodded.

"My eyes are a muscle, too." Kelly reminded him. "I can zoom my sight in and out like a telescope or binoculars. And if I try hard enough, I can see things that are invisible to most people…like infrared laser sensors."

"Neat trick." Jonny whistled.

"They're all over the place." Kelly stated as she looked around. "There! I bet that switch turns them off."

Jonny followed her outstretched finger with his eyes and saw a red handled switch across the station near the abandoned ticket booth.

"Fair enough." He said. "But how am I supposed to fly us over there without tripping any of the lasers?"

"You can use your powers." Kelly suggested.

"What do you mean?" Jonny asked her.

"You can make water and fire, right?""Right."

"And what happens when you mix fire and water?" She prodded.

Jonny blinked, but then he smiled as the answer dawned on him.

"Clever." He complimented her. "What would I do without you?"

Kelly didn't answer.

Jonny's brow creased in concentration and he whistled a quick tune. Fire flared up, seeming to rise up from beneath the floor. Water came next. It materialized in midair and - since Jonny couldn't manipulate it - it splashed straight down. The water poured across the floor, extinguishing the flames with a hiss and sending clouds of white steam billowing into the air.

Through the steam the infrared laser sensors were visible to the naked eye. The sensors weren't placed particularly close together. Now that Jonny could see them, it was no big chore to maneuver himself and Kelly through them on a current of air.

"This is amazing." Kelly wiggled her feet above the ground. "You'll have to take me flying for real the first chance we get."

Jonny glanced at her.

"You mean like up in the sky?"

"Where else? Just imagine it: The wind in your hair. Total and complete freedom from everything!" Her eyes shimmered as she envisioned it.

They finished the laser gauntlet and floated by the switch.

"I don't know…" Jonny stalled. "I'm not a fan of heights."

Kelly blinked at him and shook her head.

"Wait…" She tried to wrap her mind around that. "You can fly…and you're afraid of heights!?"

"Hey," Jonny crossed his arms defensively. "I've been afraid of heights all my life. I've only been able to fly for the last few days."

"Awwww!" Kelly cooed to the flustered cowboy. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll be with you, right?"

Jonny looked into those big doe eyes of hers and took in a deep breath.

"Right. We'll go flying." He promised.

Kelly smiled at him.

Jonny smiled back.

"………"

"………"

Jonny coughed.

"Ahem. There's the switch."

"Y-yeah." Kelly reached out and grasped the handle. "Here goes!"

She flipped the switch. The tiled wall on the other side of the station slid open. The infrared laser sensors flickered off and there was a clickclickclick as the pressure plate trap triggers in the floor locked in place. The opening wall sucked away the lingering steam. Out of it stepped a multitude of orange and black robots. Even more intimidating were the pair of twelve feet tall, black and white mechs looming ominously behind them Their metal bodies were wider than five of the robots standing shoulder to shoulder with a large, red optic in the center.

"Not even a week ago I was baling hay back on the ranch. Now I'm in my underwear about to fight off robots next to the prettiest badass ever. Life's funny, ain't it?"

Jonny and Kelly took cover behind two stone pillars as the robots aimed their laser blasters and filled the air with the now familiar, sizzling sapping. The mechs aimed as well, their fingers becoming gun barrels. The sound from their firearms was quite different.

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

"What the hell is Slade thinking?" Jonny growled. "The two big ones are using deadly rounds!"

"Slade's testing us." Kelly said.

"And if we fail, we die! I don't know about you, but I didn't sign up for this!"

"You knew the risks, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I expected it from people up top trying to stop us." Jonny bit off. "Not from the only people I'm supposed to trust!"

The cowboy swallowed and wiped the cold sweat of fear from his face. He tried to peek around the column, but a bullet ricocheted too close for comfort and forced him back.

"All right." He decided. "I'll draw their fire and get their attention! When you see an opening, do what you do best!"

"Wait!" Kelly held up a hand. "You're complaining about how dangerous this is and now you want to put your neck on the line?!"

Jonny looked back at her, exhaled and gave a somber wink.

"It's better than the alternative." He drawled.

_Watch my back, Amber._

Jonny dove out from behind his pillar and flew on a current of air.

"Jonny!" Kelly called out.

He ignored her. The robots aimed at him and fired.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

RAT-A-TAT-TAT!

Jonny swooped straight up into the dark gloom of the high ceiling and disappeared. The robots stopped shooting and looked up searchingly for him. At first they saw nothing and then just a pinprick of light that grew bigger and bigger and bigger. The giant fireball was almost right on top of them before the robots realized they might be in danger.

PHOMB!

The fireball exploded in their midst. The robots were scattered by the concussion of the black and the two mechs recoiled.

That was the distraction Kelly had been waiting for. She ran around her pillar and stomped across the station platform. She leaped forward with an outstretched fist and literally dove through the chest of a black and orange robot. She grabbed two more by the scruff of the neck and smashed their heads together. The crushed skulls sparked and Kelly tossed the two metal corpses into the nearest mech.

The attack did nothing but draw the mech's attention. It lifted its heavy mitt and slammed it down at her. Kelly dodged and jumped back. The attack cratered the ground and the block of concrete beneath Kelly's feet splintered up and sent her catapulting through the air. She smashed into the wall, tiles and dust falling around her.

"Kelly!"

The mech behind Jonny raised its arms and aimed its barrel fingers at his unprotected back. As he tried to go to Kelly's aid, one of the robots tackled him from behind. Its shot now obstructed, the mech lowered its arms.

"Let go of me!" Jonny growled. He wrestled with the robot who refused to release his grip around the cowboy's waist. Jonny rained down blows with his fists and elbows, but the robot obstinately hung on. The nearby mech, seeing Jonny pinned down, lumbered over to help. The mech lifted its giant foot to stomp Jonny into oblivion.

Jonny jabbed his thumb into the robot's optic eye. Its face sparked and singed Jonny's hand, but the attack loosened the robot's grip. Jonny scurried away as the mech's foot descended.

CRUNCH!

The robot was flattened beneath the massive weight.

Meanwhile, Kelly had recovered from her hard hit. The second white mech had cornered her against the wall and launched a crippling punch. Kelly caught the heavy metal hand and shoved back. The mech stumbled back, but the force wasn't strong enough to topple it. It regained its balance and advanced on Kelly again.

SWOOSH!

Jonny flew up on wind and landed on the mech's sloped shoulders. He hummed, produced a fire sword and stabbed down again and again with it. The sword had little effect besides leaving blackened streaks in the white steel. The mech reached up awkwardly to dislodge him but Jonny ducked, lost his balance, flapped his arms to keep from falling and finally slashed back with the sword. The sword whooshed across the mech's hand and melted its gun barrel fingers.

As this was going on, Kelly had slipped away and wrapped her arms around the base of one of the stone pillars. She grunted, pulled with all her strength and dislodged the pillar. She turned and cocked it over one shoulder like a baseball bat.

"Jonny! Get clear!"

Jonny looked over his shoulder, saw her with the column poised to strike and jumped from the mech. He landed and rolled along the subway platform. The mech pivoted after him and aimed its melted barrel fingers.

BOOM!

The barrels backfired and exploded in a plume of smoke. The disoriented mech was an easy target for Kelly. She grit her teeth and swung the pillar.

WHAM!

The mech slid and sparked along the platform. Kelly rushed after it, jumped and threw down the stone column like a lance. It impaled the mech, piercing through its big red eye.

The other mech had turned its attention to Jonny. It lumbered after him as he stepped back before it. He pointed a finger and sang:

"_The lightning's flashing across the mountainside!"_

A thick, blue bolt of electricity leapt from his finger to the mech. The mech's circuits flashed and it paused for but a moment before continuing it's slow charge.

Jonny frowned.

"Whoever heard of an insulated robot?" He complained.

The mech lifted both arms and pointed its gun barrel fingers at Jonny. Jonny's eyes widened, but he was ready. He hummed, held a fireball in each palm and flung them together. His aim was true and all of the mech's fingers sagged and melted. Jonny hummed again and sent a rusty bench flying at the mech on a current of wind. The bench was smashed to pieces against the mech's blocking forearms. The mech's red eye flashed and it stomped down hard. A crack sliced through the concrete floor and the shockwave knocked Jonny away.

Jonny groaned, shook his head and pushed himself to his hands and knees when the mech's shadow loomed over him.

"Raugh!"

WHAM!

Kelly plowed the stone pillar into the mech's side. The pillar, finally pushed past its limit, cracked and crumbled into debris. But it had done its job. The mech fell over with a crash. Kelly jumped on top of it, laced her hands together over her head into one big fist and jabbed it into the mech's red eye.

Jonny stood up and looked at the two smoking mechs and the scattered parts of the black and orange robots.

"I think we ought to have a little talk with Slade." He said grimly. "Training is one thing, but legitimately trying to kill us is a horse of an entirely different color."

Kelly was about to answer when she saw the power core of one of the downed mech's flicker. With the last of its reserves it shot out a spinning buzz saw that flew through the air at Jonny's unsuspecting back. Kelly lunged forward and shoved him out of the way.

SLICE!

Hot blood spurted and splashed across Jonny's chest. He gasped and his wide eyes dilated as the buzz saw whizzed past and he saw the deep, gaping cut in Kelly's upper arm.

"Kelly!"

Jonny rushed over to her. She had fallen to one knee. She trembled, clutched her shoulder and blinked tears out of her eyes. Jonny ripped the hem out of Kelly's shirt and tied it tight above the gash to slow the flow of blood.

The subway train doors slid open to reveal Slade's form.

"Bring her here." He ordered.

Jonny helped Kelly to the train and led her inside.

"There." Slade pointed at a simple cot. "Lay her down there and fill this bowl with water."

Jonny did as he was told. He gently put Kelly on the bed and then picked up the large bowl Slade had indicated. He hummed solemnly and water fell into it. He watched with concern as Slade dipped a cloth into it over and over again and cleaned the wound. The clear water turned a cloudy red.

"Tying it off like this was a wise move." Slade commented as he worked.

"The benefits of having a sister in medical school." Jonny said it absently without thought. He concentrated on Kelly's pained face.

Slade reached into his belt and handed his collapsible metal staff to Jonny without looking.

"Heat the end of it." Slade said.

"What for?" Jonny asked apprehensively.

"We need to cauterize the wound. This is the best way."

"Are you serious?" Jonny demanded. "Do you have any idea how much that will hurt? We might as well be branding her!"

"This is not open to discussion." Slade said it dangerously.

"You're right! It's not! I ain't-"

"Jonny…" Kelly said through her grimace. "Do it. Please."

Jonny looked away and let out a hard sigh. He hummed a deep, slow melody and held fire in his hand. He held the tip of the metal staff inside it until the tip glowed red. Then he carefully handed it back to Slade.

"This will hurt." Slade informed Kelly evenly. "Get ready."

Jonny reached out and let Kelly grab his hand. Slade glanced at their intertwined fingers with his single eye and then applied the red hot staff tip to the gash in Kelly's shoulder.

Kelly screamed and squeezed Jonny's hand. Jonny grimaced himself as the cartilage in his hand cracked and strained in her super powered grip. But his pain in no way compared to hers. In fact, he was impressed with her restraint. Jonny knew that, had she wanted to, she could break every bone in his hand or even rip it off. The air filled with the pungent, sickening smell of burnt flesh. Jonny felt helpless and could do nothing but hold her hand.

"The bleeding has stopped." Slade said. He dropped the hot staff into the bowl of water with a hiss and cloud of steam.

"Doesn't it need stitches?" Jonny asked.

"Normal people would, but Kelly doesn't. Her Nanomachines bonded with her muscles. Not only do they augment with them to make her stronger, but they will also help repair them. She'll be find in a day or so."

Slade wrapped her upper arm in gauze and the first aid was over. Jonny moved closer and sat by the bed.

"How are you holding up?" He asked Kelly sympathetically.

"I'll be fine." Kelly said in a tight voice. "I'm not stranger to pain."

"Jonny," Slade called him from the door.

The cowboy didn't even look.

"I'm busy." He said flatly.

"She'll be in pain regardless of whether or not you hold her hand. Come." The train door slid open and Slade walked outside.

"You should go." Kelly said.

Jonny didn't like it, but he did as she asked. He walked outside to meet Slade on the subway platform.

"You have a problem with me?" Slade said, but it was in no way a question.

Jonny folded his arms across his chest.

"You saw the fight, didn't you? You know what my problem is."

"A necessary evil." Slade purred. "Your training must be dangerous because your missions will be as well. Sending you into the lion's den unprepared would be an even greater injustice, don't you think?"

"Yeah? And what happens if we get killed during our training?" Jonny demanded. "How just would that be?"

Slade clasped his hands behind his back.

"I have confidence that I have trained you well enough to survive anything I throw at you."

"We can do without your kind of faith." Jonny said it bitterly. "Kelly's in there hurting right now because-"

"Your anger is misplaced." Slade interrupted him strongly. "Kelly is injured because of you. You dropped your guard and let your attention waver. She's in pain because she had to save you. This is your fault. Not mine."

Slade turned and stepped back onto the train.

Jonny, alone, took in a deep breath and let it out in a long shudder.

_God, I need a cigarette._


	14. Oct 5: Garfield Doesn't Hate Mondays

"_Besides, I'm a little __**wild**__ myself!" - Garfield Logan_

**Garfield Doesn't Hate Mondays**

**October 5th**

**Morning**

Murakami High School sat on the bright, sunny edge of Uptown, only a few blocks away from the Hunter Detective Agency. It was new, clean and streamlined, a gated sanctuary where the youngsters of Jump City could safely come together and learn in peace.

Inside the school in Room 203, Mr. Waylon called out the roll for his homeroom class from his desk. Each name he spoke was answered by one of the students and he scribbled in his book.

"Ms. Julia Markov?" He read.

"Here." A clear voice answered. It was a blonde-haired young girl sitting in the front row. She wore a pleated blue skirt, a short sleeved white buttoned shirt and a loose tie around her neck. Her eyes were wide and blue and her skinny legs were crossed daintily under her desk. A blue dress jacket hung from the back of her chair.

Mr. Waylon continued calling names, but the blond boy in the back row didn't hear. He leaned forward on his elbows, rested his chin in his hands and wistfully watched Julia. He wore the standard school uniform of blue pants and the matching, high-necked jacket.

"Mr. Logan?" The teacher repeated for the second (Third? Fourth?) time. "Mr. Garfield Logan?"

"Oh!" Beast Boy said much louder than he meant to and waved his arms frantically in the air. "That's me!"

Everyone in the class craned their necks to look at him.

Beast Boy coughed and sweat dropped. He sat up straight and clasped his hands in front of him as neatly as possible.

"I mean…u-um…I'm here, sir." He said it much more moderately.

Julia turned back around and muffled her giggle with her hand.

Beast Boy beamed proudly.

TTTTTTTTTT

Raven couldn't take it anymore. Her inability to discover the secret of the Gemini Building, coupled with the uncharacteristic inactivity in the tower, had finally eaten through her multitude of patience. Days of meditation had done nothing to reveal how the Gemini Building had been hidden from her senses and the walls of her room were starting to close in on her.

The roof of Titans Tower didn't provide much solace. Raven could look across the bay and, in the hazy distance, she could just make out the Gemini Building looming in the Tech District. She had exhausted her mental capabilities. If she were going to get to the bottom of this, she would have to go to the source itself.

She levitated off the roof and flew over the water towards the city. Raven had a methodical turn of mind and rarely did anything without much thought and carefully weighing the consequences, but the dark sorceress had made this decision in a split second. Raven was a seeker of knowledge and the fact she couldn't explain Gemini's disappearance from her mind's eye drove her crazy. She _had_ to know.

Jump City had been washed clean by the previous night's rain and was warmed by the bright morning sun. The streets below Raven were filled with traffic as the citizens of Jump City returned to the grind and their daily commute after the weekend. She felt disconnected from them all. Despite defending and protecting the city on countless occasions, Raven didn't feel like a citizen herself. She had spent so much time restraining her emotions and hiding herself from the world in fear of hurting it that it had become who she was. Even now that she was cleansed of her father's influence, old habits died hard and she kept herself aloof from anyone but her fellow Titans. But maybe now was the time to…

Raven shook her head, putting those distracting thoughts aside. She could think about it later. She had other things to worry about at the moment.

The Tech District was even busier, but Raven flew over the clogged streets and traffic. She landed softly and perched on the edge of the concrete parking garage next to the Gemini Building. Raven's deep blue cloak held her form as she looked across at the business building of steel and stone. She brought her hands up to her temples and closed her eyes.

The Gemini Building was still there, enwrapped in her mental senses. She could feel all the people inside, their minds preoccupied as the milled about completing their mundane tasks. And then she encountered a mind that was unlike the others. It was clear and contemplative and, somehow, like looking into a mirror. Raven furrowed her brow, focusing in on that mind in particular.

And then it was gone. Just as it had that night four days ago, the Gemini Building vanished from Raven's mental focus. It was as if it and everything inside didn't exist. Raven reopened her eyes. The building was still there, as normal as ever. Something or someone inside had felt her mind probing and had blocked her out. Raven had to find out how. She flew to the Gemini Building and, through a black portal, entered the floor in which she had last felt the strange mind inside.

Raven found herself in a great, carpeted room that reminded her of some immense hotel suite without any dividing walls. There was a living section with a couch and a big screen television and some kind of video game system. Another area near a wide window was set aside for a pair of messily made beds. There was a training area with two treadmills, a punching bag, racks of various free weights and a square blue mat used for sparring. Every inch of the walls, save for the doorways, was covered with bookcases housing thousands and thousands of tomes.

A tall teenager stood on the fighting mat, dressed all in navy. His pants were long and loose, but his shirt fit snugly. He wore a flowing red cloak, bunched beneath his chin and hanging off his back. His hair was black and spiky, inching down his shoulder blades like a tangle of roots and his skin was dusty brown. He was crouched in a fighting pose and held a huge, heavy sword so big it seemed implausible as a weapon. The swordsman moved in molasses-like slow motion. He swung the sword an inch at the time, sweating and trembling under its weight. He completed the arc, pivoted and began again.

Raven frowned at the sight.

"Stop pretending like you don't know I'm here." She demanded.

"Forgive me." The cloaked swordsman murmured. He did not turn to look at her, nor did he halt his kata. "I didn't wish to make you feel uncomfortable."

Raven's frown deepened.

"Who are you?"

The man swung his sword again in slow motion.

"I am…" His voice drifted off. He lowered his sword and wiped sweat from his forehead. He pushed his cloak over one shoulder and put the sword on the magnetic sheath across his back. Then he turned to look at Raven for the first time with red on black eyes. "It matters not. Soon enough, you won't remember."

Raven pushed back her own cloak and her eyes glowed gray in the recess of her hood.

"Is that a threat?" She said with an edge to her voice.

"Not at all." The swordsman gestured urbanely. "I have no wish to harm you. Though, depending on the definition, perhaps my brother does."

"And where's your brother?"

The swordsman put a hand on his hip and flicked his hair with the other.

"Right behind you, of course."

Raven whirled around, only to see empty air.

"Very clever." She said flatly as she turned back. "You-"

She gasped as she looked into a blindfolded face, just inches from her own.

"He's a sneaky one, isn't he?" The swordsman smirked. "I'm convinced he could steal a man's teeth without being seen if he tried hard enough, even if the man's mouth was closed."

"You're playing with me." Raven accused them.

The swordsman shrugged.

"We don't get many visitors."

Raven looked at the blindfolded boy.

"And you're the one blocking my telepathy."

The boy nodded silently.

"How are you doing it?" Raven asked.

The blindfolded boy didn't answer her. Instead he said:

"I'm a philosopher. Are you?"

"Oh, no." The swordsman rolled his strange eyes. "I'm not getting sucked into this. Have fun with your conversation." He retreated back to the blue mat.

The blindfolded boy disappeared, leaving only a few strands of black wisps behind. He reappeared behind Raven.

"You seem like a fellow seeker of knowledge." The boy went on. "We are very much alike. Both of us have put aside out emotions in order to think clearer. But now you want them back, don't you? That's a shame."

"Are you reading my mind?" Raven asked.

The blindfolded boy disappeared again and reappeared beside her.

"Not at all. I'm reading much deeper than that." He gestured at the bookcases around them. "I've read each of these books numerous times. Books on religion and philosophy and strategy and history. It's rare that I meet someone who I believe can understand the intricacies of those subjects. Druj tries, but he can't keep up with me anymore."

"I heard that!" The swordsman called across the room.

"Socrates believed that true philosophers don't fear death and I agree." The blindfolded boy said. "So I ask you: Are you a philosopher?"

Raven raised her chin.

"I'm not afraid of dying."

The boy vanished and popped back into existent with yet another wisp of black.

"You're afraid of missing life." He said. "You're afraid it will pass you by without giving you a chance to experience it. You would rather have your emotions and grasp at happiness than to forsake them and strive for understanding. That's…sad."

Raven opened her mouth to reply, but when she did a laugh she hadn't felt building escaped them.

The boy smirked. He teleported behind Raven. When she turned to look at him again, they stood nose to nose. The blindfold was gone and she stared into milky white eyes.

FLASH!TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy was in his next class, but nothing had changed. He sat in the back row, leaning on his elbows and stared wistfully at Julia Markov in the front row. Her textbook was open on her desk and her tongue peeked out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she wrote in a notebook.

"Ahem!" The teacher cleared her throat and tapped a ruler on Beast Boy's desk. "Get to work, Garfield."

"Heh, right." Beast Boy opened his textbook and looked uncomprehendingly at the contents. "Um, can I get a calculator?"

The teacher squinted at him from beneath thick glasses.

"This is chemistry class, young man."

"Hehehe…" Beast Boy giggled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I knew that."

He flipped through the book until he got to the page of their assignment and read the bold font at the top.

_Introduction to Earth Sciences_

Beast Boy smiled. He propped up the book and peeked over it once again at Julia.

TTTTTTTTT

Holly opened her office window on the second floor of the Hunter Detective Agency and blew out cigarette smoke. She dialed a number on her cell phone and brought it up to her ear. She disinterestedly watched Jonathon scrub her car on the street below as she waited for the call to go through.

"_What do you got for me?"_ Commissioner Walker's voice came through the receiver, not bothering with any pleasantries.

"I checked out the dummy corporation Gemini supposedly hired to dispose of their waste last night." Holly said. "It's definitely bull-crap. I think it was being used as some kind of criminal warehouse."

"_Yeah? What are they storing there?"_

"I don't know. I got a little careless planting a bug and they saw me. The place has been cleaned out. The only thing you'd find there now are the rats. They left in a hurry, though. Maybe a forensics team could find something."

"_I'll see what we can do. We got reports of gunfire in that part of town last night."_ Commissioner Walker said. _"I figured it was you."_

"Aren't you gonna ask if I'm all right?"

"_Aren't you?"_

Holly let that pass without comment.

"I got the bug on one of the goons guarding the place, but it might be a while before I know if it's still active." She said instead.

"_I was expecting better from you, Holly! And so is my cash! Don't you have anything concrete?"_

"I ran the license plate of one of their cars." Holly reported. "The owner's a guy named Rick Flag Jr. He's been in and out of the system and he's got a pretty respectable RAP sheet: Sabotage, arson, grand theft auto, assault and battery, armed robbery and possession with the intent to traffic. He's a lifetime flunky, bouncing back and forth between employers."

"_That name sounds familiar…"_ Commissioner Walker mused. _"Got any info on the dad?"_

"He's dead." Holly shrugged. "Let me look at the file." She picked it up off the desk and flipped through it. "Here it is. Rick Flag Sr. was some kind of big time World War II hero. Won a bunch of medals and crap."

"_That must be it. But how does Junior help us?"_

"He might not, but he's the only lead I got right now." Holly said. "The bug is on him. Even if he didn't find it, it might not be enough information. I got his last known address. If I can find him, maybe he can lead us to his current employer. It could link the high and mighty Maryse Gemini with the criminal underworld of Jump City, if nothing else."

"_You do that. It'd be nice to take her down a peg or two. Or over my knee, whatever."_

"Keep your fetishes to yourself, old man. I'll call if I find out anything else."

"_Right."_ The Commissioner paused before adding: _"I love you, Holly."_

Holly clicked off the phone without answering. She looked out into space for a moment, but then she shook out of it. She leaned out the window and yelled down:

"Hey! You missed a spot!"

TTTTTTTTTT

The wet, rocky bluffs at the foot of Titans Tower were normally quiet and peaceful.

Normally.

ZAF! ZAF! ZAF!

Rich brown sand exploded upwards as bright green star bolts rained down from above. Robin's cape flapped as he cart wheeled and flipped and dodged around them. He jumped, vaulted off a half-submerged boulder and dove headlong into a floating Starfire. In a tangle of knees and elbows and hair and cape they fell onto the soft sand and rolled across it, wrestling for position. They pushed against each other and separated. Robin back flipped and landed in a crouch while Starfire landed much more daintily.

Robin whipped out his staff, extended it with a whirring flourish and launched himself forward. He swung and arced the weapon at the side of Starfire's face. Starfire blocked with her left arm and swung a colossal punch with the right. Robin literally went flying, flailing high into the air. Starfire gasped and reached her hand out to him.

"Robin!"

The Boy Wonder reached into his utility belt and pulled out a grappling gun. He aimed and shot, even as he twisted through the air. The cord wrapped around Starfire's outstretched hand, grew taut and retracted. Robin descended like a diving jet with a flying side kick.

WHAM!

While the attack had the power to put most normal people down for the count, it merely sent Starfire sliding back through the sand. Her booted feet left two long trails in their wake. Starfire slid to a stop and yanked hard on the cord wrapped around her wrist. Robin, still holding on tight to the other end, flew at her again headfirst. Starfire reached for him, but he flew through her grasp, vaulted off her shoulders and landed a safe distance away. Starfire growled and yanked the cord again to bring him back, but Robin let go in mid-pull. The alien lost her balance and fell on her rear in the sand.

"You don't want to be too predictable in a fight." Robin advised sagely.

"Nor should you let down your guard!" Starfire grinned. She stood up and tossed the free end of the grappling cord at him. The cord arced through the air and wrapped around the Boy Wonder's ankle.

Robin looked down dumbly at his suddenly bound foot, raised a finger and opened his mouth to-

YANK!

Robin found himself flailing backwards and then in a reverse bear hug.

"Hehehe!" Starfire giggled in triumph as she squeezed. "I am victorious!"

"N-not…y-yet!" Robin forced out between grit teeth. He reached…reached…reached down into his utility belt. He dropped a blinking, beeping explosive at their feet.

Starfire stared at it for moment before realization hit her.

"Eek!" She released her grip on Robin. The device in the sand beeped louder and louder.

Starfire dove right.

Robin dove left.

The cord between them grew taut and then flung them back to where they had begun like a double yo-yo. They fell to the sand in a tangle next to the explosive.

The beeping reached its climax.

BOOM!

Both of them were caught in the blast. When the smoke cleared, Starfire was clutching a blackened faced Robin.

"Robin! Are you damaged?"

Robin looked at her blankly, but then he shook the cobwebs out.

"I'm fine, Starfire."

The two of them suddenly realized how close together their faces were.

Robin smiled.

Starfire smiled.

They moved closer to each other-

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Both of them flinched, but it was only their communicators. Robin's face grew serious.

"Trouble!"

TTTTTTTTTT

It was no accident that Beast Boy - now better known as Garfield Logan - shared each and every class with the girl he had known as Terra and now went by Julia Markov. Garfield had gone to the principal of Murakami High, explained his situation and asked for a very specific schedule. Even after Terra had spurned him, Garfield couldn't stay away. Once a week he had found himself coming to the school and watching from afar with the sharp eyesight of a hawk on the rooftop of an adjoining building. He had spied upon her enough times to know her class schedule.

Garfield could care less about going back to school. And while being around kids his own age without causing a stir by his appearance was a nice change, that wasn't why he had returned. He was there for one reason and one reason only: To be near Terra. She had turned away Beast Boy; she never said anything about Garfield.

Watching from afar couldn't compete with being in the same room with her. Garfield could see all the details and feel her presence. He could hear her talk and laugh and breath again. And hopefully, if fate was willing, he could-

"New project!" The Biology teacher announced to them. "I'm going to give all of you the chance to play God…if you believe in that sort of thing. Your assignment is to create the perfect organism using what we know of life on this planet. Every characteristic of your perfect organism must already exist on a living thing. You'll be graded on senses, survivability and plausibility. I want some actual thought put into this people! Now, I'll assign partners…"

Garfield gasped. This was exactly the opportunity he was looking for. If he was assigned the project with Terra, then he would have an excuse to spend time with her. If Terra had let herself fall for Beast Boy, then just maybe Julia could go for Garfield.

The Biology teacher called out name after name and Garfield hung on every word.

"Julia Markov." He finally said. "Your last project was very thoughtful. 'The Effects of Earthquakes on Animal Life'. Quite the interesting read. Now, who to partner you with…?"

Garfield had to fight himself to keep from waving his arms and instead prayed under his breath to any and every deity who would listen.

"Courtney Woods." The teacher decided.

Garfield deflated tragically.

"Um, Mr. Payne?" Julia raised her hand. "Courtney doesn't go here anymore. Her parents transferred her to Southern Jump."

"Oh? Is that so?" Mr. Payne scratched his chin.

Hope flared in Garfield's heart.

"I guess I'll have to pair you up with the new kid, then." Mr. Payne said. He looked towards the back of the class. "Is that okay with you, Garfield?"

"Yeah!" Garfield practically shouted.

Mr. Payne stared.

Julia twisted in her seat to look at him.

Garfield coughed nervously.

"I-I mean, yeah, okay. That's cool."

"Very well then." Mr. Payne glanced at the clock above the whiteboard. "We have ten minutes until the end of class. I'll let you use that time to meet with your partners and discuss the upcoming project."

Garfield restrained himself much better this time. In fact, he stayed at his desk and allowed Julia to come to him. She sat in the desk in front of his and shimmied it around to face him.

"I'm Julia." She introduced herself.

"You can call me Gar." Garfield replied.

"So," Julia said. "What do you know about animals?

"Heh, only _everything!_ I-" Garfield stopped himself and quickly changed his answer. "My parents were biologists. I spent a bunch of time in Africa when I was kid while they studied like every species there. Besides, I'm a little _wild_ myself!" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Julia giggled.

"That's good to hear." She said. "About you knowing animals, I mean. Maybe we should-"

She was interrupted when Garfield's communicator began to beep.

"Is that your cell phone?" Julia asked.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." Garfield reached into his pants pocket and clicked it off, then raised his hands to get Mr. Payne's attention. "Mr. Payne? I kinda got an emergency…"

The teacher frowned at him, but then he nodded.

"Ah, yes. Principal Hickman informed me on your rather special situation. You may go."

"Sorry, T-" Garfield bit his tongue as he stood up. "Julia. We'll talk about it tomorrow, 'kay?"

Garfield trotted out of the classroom, leaving a blinking Julia behind.

TTTTTTTTTT

FLASH!

Raven was suddenly in her bedroom in Titans Tower. She looked around slowly, as if she were somehow in unfamiliar territory. She felt as if something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what. She searched through her memories. The last thing she remembered was being on the roof of the tower, and now here she was in her bedroom. It didn't make sense.

Raven frowned. Maybe she had dreamed her visit to the roof? She had been meditating a lot lately and maybe-

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Her communicator rang out. Such thoughts would have to wait until later. Raven created a dark portal, stepped inside and disappeared.


	15. Veran: Part One

_**Veran: Part One**_

_**??????????**_

_**??????????**_

_Lus Reafetos was an enchantingly beautiful city of magic and wonder. Elegant, spiraling towers of deep blue and purple stone reached to the sky. The streets were made of marble; clean and bright and brilliantly reflecting the sun. The city was vast and empty and had but a single citizen._

_Veran lived alone in the fantastic city, but she was never lonely. The pale skinned teenage girl lived each day with a smile on her face and never needed a reason to be happy. She was alive; what more reason did she need?_

_Veran spent her days exploring Lus Reafetos and always found something new and exciting. Heavenly music that had no source rang sweetly in her ears as she flew through the city that had no limits or boundaries no matter how long and fast she traveled._

_All of Veran's needs were taken care of. When she grew hungry a banquet table would appear, holding all her favorite dishes and even tastier exotic delicacies Veran had never seen. When she grew tired a giant soft bed with fluffy, cloud-like pillows would always be nearby. When Veran was cold the sun would shine warmly on her and when she was hot a cool wind would inexplicably blow. Life was perfect._

_Veran was happy._


	16. Oct 5: Obligatory Bank Robbery

"_We'll ask for a helicopter!" - Jeff_

**Obligatory Bank Robbery**

**October 5th**

**Afternoon**

Holly sat at the desk in her office, picking at a chicken salad and sipping at an ice tea she had sent Jonathon to fetch not long earlier. With her free hand she went back and forth between typing at a laptop computer and carefully turning an audio dial bit by bit. Static white noise crackled from the computer's speakers and faded in and out as she turned. Holly squinted, adjusted her gold-rimmed eyeglasses and turned the dial ever so slightly.

"_Damn these things are heavy."_ A voice came over the speakers clearly. _"What's the point of being a crook if you have to do honest work to cover it up?"_

Holly dropped her fork, scrambled to grab the mouse and click the record button on the computer.

"_Quit your bitching."_ The voice Holly recognized as Rick's said. _"Besides, we have no idea what's in these crates. I doubt this is honest."_

"_Tell that to my back. It feels the same either way."_

"_Shut up."_ Rick growled. _"You're starting to make me miss Jeff."_

"_Where is he, anyway? That lazy bastard is supposed to be helping us."_

"_We won't be seeing Jeff again, I imagine."_

"_Huh? What happened to him?"_

Holy paused as she wrapped her lips around the plastic fork and leaned forward curiously to listen.

"_Nothing yet."_ Rick said. _"He rounded up some boys to rip off the bank Downtown."_

"_Jeff? That dumb ass couldn't organize a bake sale!"_

"_Neither could you."_ Rick said bluntly and Holly couldn't help but snicker. _"You'd be surprised what he can do when he's been more than five minutes without some Blood Ice in his veins. I tried to talk him out o it, but you know how he gets."_

"_The Titans will stop him and throw his carcass in jail."_

"_That's not why I tried to stop him. He's been in an out of the joint as many times as I have. He's screwed even if the Titans don't catch him."_

"_What? Why?"_

Rick let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.

"_The boss doesn't like it when we go into business for ourselves. Jeff is gonna end up dead in a gutter somewhere…well, he probably would have anyway. But now it'll be sooner."_

"_But didn't we do the same thing? I-I mean, that place we were guarding until those snoopers came last night-"_

"_That was different."_ Rick told him. _"That was for someone the boss works with."_

"_I didn't know he had a partner."_

"_He doesn't. Not really. From what I heard we were doing that for some big shot businesswoman. She's got a reputation and crap, so she can't be seen dealing with scum like us. She basically uses the boss as a contractor and lets him handle all her underground affairs."_

"_How do you know all this shit, man?"_

"_I just keep my eyes open. A man who goes through life with his eyes closed is liable to step off a cliff sooner or later."_

"_Yeah, whatever."_ There was a metallic clanging in the background. _"Damn it, it's locked. You got the keys?"_

"_They're right here."_ Rick muttered. A jangling could be heard over the speakers. _"What the-!? What the hell is this?"_

After that there was nothing but silence and Holly knew Rick had found the bug in his coat pocket. She kept waiting for the inevitable white noise, but it never came. Just silence. It made Holly frown.

Why weren't they destroying it?

TTTTTTTTTT

It was after noon when Jonny finally woke up and even then his limbs were still weary and his eyes sandy. He had spent half the night fighting off robots and the other half holding Kelly's hand, ignoring her constant reassurances that she was all right. He sat up and found himself on the cot Kelly had been in. He blinked and looked around at the empty subway train car. The last thing Jonny remembered was sitting down next to the cot and leaning tiredly back against it. If he fell asleep after that, he should have been slumped over in the floor.

Jonny stood up, ran a hand through his hair and padded through subway cars until he reached the car he and Kelly shared. Their bedroom was empty, too. He reached into his duffel bag sitting in the corner and pulled on some clothes. He picked up and looked at a pack of cigarettes, but then he dropped them back into the bag and slapped on a nicotine patch instead. With that done he slid open the train doors and stepped out into the subway station.

Kelly held her longbow. She notched her corded arrow and prepared to draw it back with her bandaged arm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jonny crossed the distance between them faster than he thought possible and laid a restraining hand on her elbow. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kelly did a blinking double take at him and let out a patronizing chuckle.

"I'm just getting in some archery practice." She said. "Are you trying to save the target's life?"

"Your arm." Jonny said. "Shouldn't you be-"

"I'm perfectly _okay._" Kelly stressed, pulling her elbow free. "If I can pick up your heavy butt I can shoot a bow. You need to loosen up, cowboy. I'm happy you care, but I can take care of myself. I don't need you to protect me."

Kelly turned away from him, notched the arrow again, pulled back the bowstring with hardly a grimace and let the shot fly. The cord connected to the end of the arrow whistled through the air and the shot penetrated just off the center of the bullseye.

Jonny watched for a dumbfounded moment, but then he smiled.

"No, I reckon you don't."

Slade stepped out on the foyer above them and called down.

"Maverick, Artemis. Come up here. It's time for you to know your first mission."

Jonny and Kelly looked at each other.

"Are you ready for this?" Kelly asked.

Jonny thought for but a moment before he smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I think I am. Let's mosey."

TTTTTTTTTT

Aquagirl lazily backstroked in long, slow circles in the pool in Titans Tower. It was funny that, after nearly drowning, she felt more at home in the water than anywhere else. And it was the only home she had; there was no where else to go.

Aquagirl dove down and sat at the bottom of the pool. Her dark eyes - covered with an invisible shield - remained wide open. She looked around the bottom of the pool and then down at her hands, made hazy by the undulating waves. The narrow gills along her delicate neck flared as she breathed.

It was peaceful and quiet on the pool floor, almost like a different world. The water hugged and caressed Aquagirl's body and absorbed into her skin. She felt as if she were in a meditative trance with her senses suspended in the water. It made her think long, unbroken thoughts.

Aquagirl still couldn't remember her past life, but the chain of events that brought her to Titans Tower had become clearer. She had been sitting when it all began. She couldn't remember where or what she was doing, but it was then when she was assaulted from behind. Her arms were held tight and a sickeningly sweet rag was thrust over her nose and mouth. She could only struggle for but a moment before she passed out. There was no way she had the powers then that had earned her the name Aquagirl. If she had, she would have tossed her assailant (or was there more than one?) like a rag doll with her superhuman strength.

Aquagirl was moving when she stumbled hazily into consciousness again. She couldn't see anything and she could barely move. Some kind of gag had been stuffed into her mouth and her wrists and ankles were bound together tight enough to cut off the flow of blood. She was stuck in some kind of scratchy sack that clung claustrophobically to her. She tried to roll weakly to the left and right, but she was closed in even more. She could feel and hear the rumble of a car motor and then she felt it stop. The trunk opened and hands were suddenly lifting her up.

"_Damn. The chloroform wore off."_

"_So? She's already tied up and gagged."_

"_Yeah, but I was hoping she'd still be out. Drowning is a shitty way to die."_

"_Every way you die is shitty. Now get over it and help me here."_

Aquagirl screamed then, but the gag defeated her efforts. She tried to fight, but she still hadn't regain her strength. Her chest clenched, her heart jack hammered, her mouth went dry and her blood ran cold. She sweat and trembled. It was the horrible, awful and indescribable moment that gripped Aquagirl because she knew that she was about to die and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

The fall was the worst part of it all. The feeling of that empty air around her and the way it made her skin crawl-

SPLASH!Aquagirl emerged from the pool water and took in a deep breath through her lips. She didn't want to think about it anymore. It was over and, better yet, it could never, ever happen again. She was safe.

With what she knew of her past squared away, Aquagirl inevitably thought about her future. The Titans wouldn't let her stay in the tower forever and her lungs had already nearly recovered. Sooner rather than later, she would have to leave…and she had no where to go. That thought was somehow almost as disturbing as the memory of her traumatic fall.

Aquagirl sighed. She sure would be happy when she could finally make some _good_ memories for a change.

TTTTTTTTTT

The Jump Trust Bank was a part of the old, original city and it showed. It was planted firmly in Downtown and stared out stubbornly at the progress around it like an old man scowling at kids playing on his lawn from the safety of his front porch. The white stone the bank had been made of was cracked and faded to gray. Smooth trodden steps led up to the front door, where columns were lined up like extra iron bars of protection.

They did nothing to protect the bank from Jeff and his gang. They rushed into the bank like a crashing wave, using speed and surprise to make up for their sloppy inexperience. It was a slow Monday afternoon and only six people in the bank: Three employees and three customers. Jeff and his gang waved their high-tech firearms around and quickly pushed and shoved them to the floor beneath the teller's desk, ignorant that was exactly where the hidden alarm was hidden. As soon as the bank robbers had turned away, one of the employees had fearfully hit the button, sending out a silent distress call.

Jeff and his gang, not bothering to leave someone to guard the hostages, emptied the teller drawers and blasted open the vault. By the time they had filled their bags and pockets with cash, the bank had been completely surrounded Jeff stared at the scene, peeking from one side of the glass doors. He licked his lips and sweat nervously as he beheld the ring of police cars, policeman and the crowd of reporters and onlookers they were holding back. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't-

Just as Jeff began to panic, the phone rang, making him start horribly. It rang out again as Jeff and his partners in crime stood frozen, looking hesitantly at one another. Finally Jeff crept carefully towards the phone sitting meekly on the desk. He reached out and cautiously took hold of the receiver as if it were a live snake and slowly brought it to his ear.

"H-Hello?"

"_This is Police Commissioner Walker of the JCPD."_ Came the grizzled voice on the other end of the line. _"Who am I talking to?"_

"…Jeff."

"_Jeff, huh? You got a last name, Jeff?"_

Jeff shook his head despite the fact the Commissioner couldn't see him.

"No, man! No way I'm telling you that!"

"_All right, all right. Don't get your panties in a bunch!"_ The Commissioner paused and said his next line deliberately for maximum impact. "_You know you're waist deep in shit right now, don't you, Jeff?"_

Jeff didn't answer.

"_Jeff? You still there, Jeff?"_

"Y-Yeah, I'm here."

"_You haven't ruined your life yet, okay?"_ Walker negotiated. _"But if you don't end this now…and I mean faster than Michael Moore can annoy a southerner…you might as well do a handstand and take a deep breath 'cause that what the rest of your miserable life is going to be like. We don't want to hurt you. Don't force us to come in there and stomp a hole in your collective asses."_

Jeff trembled, but then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught one of the hostages peeking fearfully over the teller counter. A thin string of confidence shot through him.

"O-Oh yeah?" He retorted with a braggadocio he didn't really feel. "I got six hostages in here, yeah? Don't make _me_ hurt _them_!"

There was a moment of silence over the phone and, when the Commissioner spoke again, his voice was gravely serious.

"_This is a dangerous game, Jeff. You're gambling with your life here. Are you sure you want to play it?"_

"All my chips are in, man! I'm ready!"

Commissioner Walker sighed.

"_All right. What are you demands?"_

"Um…uh…" Jeff blinked and rubbed his cheek.

"_I'll give you time to think about it. I'll call back in ten minutes. Don't do anything stupid."_

In the street in front of the bank, Commissioner Walker clicked shut his cell phone. He turned away from the bank in disgust. Just as he lit a cigarette, the R-Cycle and T-Car pulled through the crowd and parked inside the police perimeter. He watched as they walked and flew purposely to him with Beast Boy, as green and pointy-eared as ever, bringing up the rear in his traditional black and purple.

"What took you kids so long?" Walker asked.

"You always say that!" Beast Boy complained.

"'Cause you're always late!"

"We got here as fast as we could, Commissioner." Robin placated him. "What's the situation?"

The Commissioner gestured and the Titans followed him into the back of a police surveillance truck. They huddled in together, watching six glowing monitors.

"Little cramped in here…" Raven muttered in as a few words as possible.

Cyborg blushed and tried to make himself smaller to no avail.

"Can we get on with this?" Beast Boy asked.

"Just in case you've made yourselves go blind by now, this is a bank robbery, kiddos." The Commissioner pointed at one of the monitors. "We got ten perps, all of them heavily armed."

"How heavily?" Robin asked

"Look for yourself."

Robin squinted at the monitors and at the robbers nervously fidgeting and walking around with their weapons.

"They must be professionals." Robin frowned. "Those are top of the line laser rifles. Not just anyone can get their hands on guns like that."

"They're dumb asses." Commissioner Walker said bluntly. "Look, they have no idea what they're doing. They didn't touch the cameras and they put the hostages - unguarded - right next to the silent alarm. Not to mention the leader damn near shit himself when I was on the phone with him."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Beast Boy asked. "Let's go in there and kick their butts!"

"What's the matter, little man?" Cyborg playfully rubbed the changeling's head with his huge hand. "Got a date somewhere?"

Before a disgruntled Beast Boy could answer, Cyborg roughhousing shifted the weight in the truck and tilted it dangerously. Everyone stumbled to one side.

"Ack!" Cyborg braced himself and re-centered the weight, stabilizing the truck. He puffed out a sigh, rubbed his head and smiled nervously. "Heh…sorry."

"I swear, you kids destroy everything you touch!" Walker grumbled. "Think we can get back to the whole bank robbery thing now?"

"We have no fear of the thieves themselves." Starfire pointed out. "But what of the innocent hostages? Their safety must be our first priority!"

"We'll send in Raven first." Robin decided. "Once she's secured the hostages, we'll charge in and take them out. That okay with you, Raven?"

Raven stared at no particular monitor, lost in thought.

"Hey!" Beast Boy prodded her. "Earth to Raven!"

Raven blinked, shook her head and lifted her hood over her head.

"Right." She answered after a pause. "I can port them out. The robbers aren't even watching them."

Robin gave her a look of concern, even as the slits of his eyemask narrowed suspiciously.

"Are you okay, Raven?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Just…a little distracted, that's all."

"See? She's okay!" Beast Boy hurried them along. "Let's do this!"

Raven gave him an annoyed glance, but then she nodded.

"Whenever you're ready, Raven." Robin said to her.

Back inside the bank, Jeff sat next to the phone on the desk with his laser rifle across his lap. His brothers in arms gathered around him.

"So what do we want to ask for?" Jeff asked them.

"We gotta get out of her somehow." One of them said. "We need a car or something!"

"What are you? Retarded? There's no way we're getting a car out of here!"

"So what's your idea, genius?"

No one answered until Jeff suddenly snapped his fingers.

"I got it!" He said. "We'll ask for a helicopter!"

"Perfect!" One of the robbers said and the rest nodded in agreement.

Jeff suddenly pursed his lips.

"So…um…who here knows how to fly one?" He asked.

Silence. The robbers fidgeted and looked pensively at each other.

Meanwhile, Raven came through a dark portal behind the main counter next to the six hostages. She gestured for them to be quiet and then led them into the black gateway. A disorienting, stomach-lurching moment later, the hostages were safely in the hands of the police. Jeff and his gang didn't even notice. The next portal appeared in the ceiling and the Teen Titans dropped down in plain sight.

"Freeze!" Robin shouted.

For the span of half a dozen heartbeats Jeff and his gang obeyed the command, but then they got over their shock. They shouldered their laser rifles and took aim.

"Titans, scatter!"

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!

The Titans separated and dodged in all directions, save for Beast Boy. He melted into a striped green raccoon and charged directly into the laser fire. He dodged left and right with all the nimbleness and agility the form provided and leaped into the face of the nearest robber, ripping and tearing at his suddenly shrieking face.

Jeff himself hadn't attacked. He had scrambled away during the ruckus and hid unnoticed behind the desk. He breathed hard and fumbled clumsily through his clothes. He pulled out a capped syringe filled with red liquid.

Starfire flew up, pressed her wrists together and unleashed a concentrated star bolt blast into their midst. The robbers dodged and recoiled every which way, rushing for whatever cover they could find. The concussion of the blast jarred Jeff behind the desk and the syringe of Blood Ice skittered across the floor. He gasped and crawled after it, but he had to stop and cover his head as one of his compatriots rag-dolled over his head on the wrong end of a sonic cannon stream.

Starfire swooped in, jerked away the rifle from one of the robbers and lifted him by the front of his shirt.

"Surrender!" She implored him. "I do not wish to hurt you!"

The robber gulped and didn't reply.

Across the room, half hidden standing beside a stone pillar was a much curvier robber. She looked down the sight and aimed directly between Starfire's shoulder blades. Her finger tensed around the trigger-

The tip of a metal staff was suddenly thrust into the trigger. Robin pulled the laser rifle from her, spun it in an arc and clonked it over the would-be ambusher's head. She fell senselessly to the floor.

Starfire threw her captive casually to one side. The robber rolled across the tiled ground and his heel kicked away the syringe of Blood Ice just before Jeff could grab it with his grubby, desperate fingers.

Two more of the crooks fired at Beast Boy from behind the front counter. Beast Boy turned into a green bat, swooping left and right to avoid the laser shots. He landed behind a desk and suddenly sprang up as a barrel-chested gorilla, holding it up over his head. He let out a growl and tossed the desk in a overhead throw. The desk smashed into the counter, momentarily stopping the flow of laser fire.

Cyborg lifted a heavy metal foot and smashed it down to the floor hard. A crackling shockwave traveled jaggedly and knocked a robber off his feet. Cyborg went to put him down for the count when a wayward laser shot hit him in the side. His titanium armor was instantly scorched black. The concussion of the blast threw him across the room. He smashed through two stone pillars before sliding to a halt, half covered by rubble.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy shouted in his elfin form. Then he jerked his head back to glare at the closest robber who was blindly shooting at Raven, levitating to dodge the shots. His eyes became pinpricks and turned feral. His teeth elongated and glistened. He grew up and up and up and changed into his werewolf form.

The green werewolf leaped across the room in one bound and slammed his paw into the crook's chest. The crook slid across the floor and slammed into the wall with teeth-clattering force.

Two more robbers opened fire on him. Beast Boy loped at them, blurring left and right too fast for their guns to follow. His clawed hand lashed out as the robbers winced, frozen in fear. After a tense moment, they reopened their eyes to find themselves still alive. A split second later their rifles fell to pieces and the robbers were left dumbfounded, holding nothing but gun barrels. Beast Boy negligently backhanded them away

Hidden from the ferocious creature, Jeff had finally snatched up the syringe of Blood Ice. He sat in the corner and prepared to plunge the needle into his hungry veins. But at the last moment shimmering black encompassed the vial and lifted it up out of his grasp. Jeff looked up to see Raven floating above.

"That's not going to help you." She uttered.

Jeff slumped down, defeated.

The werewolf that was Beast Boy wasn't done. There were two more crooks left to go, still hidden behind the main teller counter. Beast Boy jumped up on it, clawing and ripping through metal and wood. The barrier was shredded away and soon he was staring balefully down at the two crooks.

ZAP!

One of them shot him in the shoulder and the rancid smell of burnt hair filled the bank. Beast Boy roared, grabbed them by the throats with each clawed hand and lifted them up. He slammed one of them hard to the floor and then turned his attention to the one who had shot him. Beast Boy opened his mouth wide, showing row upon row of razor sharp teeth. He pulled the crook closer. The man screamed.

"Beast Boy! No!" Robin looped a grappling cord around Beast Boy's broad, hairy shoulders and pulled with all his might, but the werewolf barely felt it.

Beast Boy looked over his shoulder at the Boy Wonder and let out a guttural grunt. He turned back to the crook, reverted to his elfin form and settled for punching him in the face with his human hand.

"Beast Boy!" Robin admonished him. "You know you're only supposed to use that form as a last resort! What were you thinking? You almost killed that man!"

Beast Boy shook his head and didn't answer. He glanced remorsefully at Robin with a look that said everything and then turned away from him. He walked over to where Starfire was helping Cyborg to his feet.

"Are you all right?" Beast Boy asked him.

Cyborg groaned, rubbed his head and then looked down at his scorched side.

"I'll be okay. Nothing a little buffing won't solve." He glanced around at the beaten bodies of the bank robbers around them. "A lot better than these guys, at least."

Robin was crouched down, examining one of the laser rifles, peering at it thoughtfully.

Beast Boy wasn't interested. He walked to the front doors and stepped outside. Then, in a tone a lot less jovial than the comment, he said: "Clean up! Aisle nine!"

Police rushed by him to go inside and secure the criminals. Beast Boy watched them stomp past and, suddenly remembering, he caught one by the arm.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"It's almost three o clock, kid. If you're late for something you better hurry up. The school buses will be on the road any minute now."

Beast Boy sighed.

"BB." Cyborg was suddenly there, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you don't have anywhere else to go, I think there's something you should see."

TTTTTTTTTT

A cross-town trip in the T-Car later and Cyborg and Beast Boy, back in his human form, descended a long flight of stairs and found themselves in a long hallway. The walls were a uniform gray and harsh florescent lights shined overhead. Their footfalls echoed dully around them.

"I can't believe you've never heard of Star Labs before!" Cyborg was saying. "They're only the most famous scientific foundation _ever_!"

"I leave that stuff to you, dude." Beast Boy said. "The only scientist I know is Liam Neeson."

He paused and looked at their surroundings.

"Speaking of, this place does kinda look like Vault 101." He added.

"What?" Cyborg scratched his head.

"Heh, nothing."

They continued on. At the end of the hallway was a pair of armed and armored security guards, lounging comfortable.

"Hey there, Cyborg!" One of them greeted him. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Beast Boy." Cyborg said. "He's a lot more recognizable when he's green."

"Huh…fancy that."

"So," the second guard said slyly. "Have you asked out the pretty doctor yet, Cyborg?"

Cyborg coughed and blushed. He tried to gesture without Beast Boy seeing.

"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about, man!"

"Oh…right." The guard snickered, covering himself up in an incredibly unconvincingly manner. "I was thinking of…ya know…_another_ Cyborg I know."

Cyborg face palmed.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy suddenly hopped up on his shoulders. "You have a crush and didn't tell me? I'm huuuuurt!"

"I don't have a crush!" Cyborg grated. He plucked Beast Boy up by the back of his uniform and shoved him forward through the archway in front of them. Cyborg followed after him, only for the metal detector to go off with an irritating beeping. "I hate those things." He added.

Beast Boy chuckled.

They walked deeper into the labyrinth called Star Labs. They turned left and right down nearly identical hallways. Beast Boy was quickly turned around, but Cyborg moved ahead confidently. Beast Boy slowed for a few moments as the monotony broke and they passed by a long window looking into a sterile testing ground. A giant, long-barreled gun was aimed at a humanoid target.

Cyborg turned to find Beast Boy was no longer with him and had instead pressed his face up against the glass.

"C'mon, BB!"

"Just a sec." Beast Boy said. "I wanna see this."

Cyborg took in the cannon and target in a single glance."It'll probably be hours before they fire that thing." He said. "Let's get going."

Beast Boy sighed wistfully and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The two of them continued on. They hadn't taken half a dozen steps past the window when-

KABLAM!

"Aw, man!" Beast Boy moaned.

Cyborg couldn't help but laugh through his apology.

Dr. Sarah Charles' personal laboratory was a large, octagonal room lined with cabinets filled with all kinds of techy stuff Beast Boy couldn't name. It was much warmer and homier than the rest of Star Labs with its carpeted floor and its softly painted walls. There were even simple decorations placed here and there, including a simple vase filled with colorful flowers. It made her place of work feel much more like a living room than a lab.

"Hey, Sarah." Cyborg smiled.

Sarah turned to face him. She ignored the file in her hand and smiled back.

"Hello, Victor."

Beast Boy looked at Cyborg. He looked at Sarah. He looked at Cyborg. He looked at Sarah.

"Ahhhh…" He released sagely.

Cyborg and Sarah responded simultaneously.

"What?" They asked him.

"Heheheh!" Beast Boy giggled. "Nothing!"

Cyborg looked away to blush, but Sarah recovered instantly.

"You must be Beast Boy." She reached out and shook his hand. "You can call me Sarah. Cyborg's told me a lot about you."

"Don't believe Ondore's lies." Beast Boy suavely ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Cyborg's never _once_ beaten me in video games!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Beast Boy went on. He glanced left and right and scratched his head. "Um…why are we here?"

"Sarah's been analyzing the Gemini toxic waste we found in the bay." Cyborg said.

"And here are my findings." Sarah thumped the file she was holding. "I think you're going to want to look at it." She handed it to Cyborg.

Cyborg took the file and quickly scanned and flipped through it.

"Strange." He mused. "I was wondering why Gemini Industries would throw out such a powerful mutagen. And this…" He trailed off and fell silent.

"H-hey!" Beast Boy hopped up and made an unsuccessful grab for the file. "I wanna see, too!"

"Um, Beast Boy…" Cyborg tried to put it as delicately as possible. "This is kind of complicated. Maybe-"

Beast Boy jumped again and succeeded in snatching the file away. He opened it up and looked at it intently.

Over his head, words and letters and symbols and numbers appeared in a thought bubble. They waddled to the edge and leaped off. They parachuted down slowly to soak into Beast Boy's skull. But then drooling snipers in dunce caps jumped out of hiding in his hair and opened fire.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

None of the information even got close enough to put up a fight. Beast Boy looked up to nervously peek at Cyborg and Sarah, who were watching him expectantly. He coughed, pulled out thick-rimmed glasses from _somewhere_ and slipped them on. Then he pretended to read. He nodded and hummed loudly in contemplative understanding. Beast Boy rubbed his chin when he was finished.

"Interesting." He said.

Cyborg and Sarah exchanged a pensive look.

"You understand?" Sarah asked.

"Of course!" Beast Boy cackled. "But…uh…just in case I overlooked something…why don't you put it laid man's terms?"

Cyborg coughed.

"I think you mean 'layman's terms'." He said.

"I've heard it both ways." Beast Boy didn't skip a beat.

Sarah covered her mouth to contain her giggle, but quickly cleared her throat when she caught Cyborg's expression.

"Ahem. It's my theory that Gemini were too direct in their application of the mutagen." She explained. "Direct contact with the substance results in cell disintegration and, eventually, death. Gemini must have realized this and, thinking the chemical defunct, illegally dumped it. However, the fumes that you and Aquagirl came in contact with, diluted by the water, had the mutagenic effect I surmise was Gemini's original goal."

"Think of it as mutagen concentrate." Cyborg simplified it further.

"So…like…we have a superhero maker now?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, no, nothing like that." Sarah said quickly. "It would take many years to test the substance and make the procedure safe. Not to mention the effect it could have on society. Personally I think we already have more than enough super powered beings running around."

Beast Boy blinked.

Cyborg blinked.

Sarah blinked.

"P-present company excluded, of course." She added. Then her face grew serious. "Are you ready to tell him?" She asked Cyborg.

"Huh? Tell me what?" Beast Boy wanted to know.

Cyborg nodded somberly and Sarah went on.

"The mutagen's effect on humans appear to be permanent." She said. "However, since you DNA is already mutated…we predict it will eventually reform to its original state."

"You mean-"

"You will lose access to your human form. I'm sorry."

Beast Boy gasped and looked down at his pink fleshy hands.

"How long until…"

"Days." Sarah answered him quietly. "A week at the most."

Beast Boy hung his head.


	17. Oct 5: Not Dead Yet

_"It's a good thing when people die. It makes them so much more interesting, don't you think?" - Deshaun_

**Not Dead Yet**

**October 5th  
Night**

In their subway bedroom deep underground, Jonny and Kelly sat side by side on the bed, looking over a multi-page document filled with instructions, blueprints and complicated diagrams. Jonny frowned and scratched his chin as he read. He glanced over at Kelly once or twice, but she seemed totally focused on the document in front of her. Jonny sighed and went back to his studying.

Their target was something called the Gemini Building and it was built like a fort. Jonny marveled at how anyone could look at the blueprints and come to the conclusion that it was anything else. The security for it looked like something out of a science fiction movie or one of the video games Crystal was always playing back at the ranch.

The thought of his sister pulled Jonny's mind in a different direction. He had to admit he felt a little homesick. He missed Crystal and Tim and his mom and Music the horse. He missed the feeling of being in the saddle with the wind in his face and laying in the tall grass next to the stream and pretending to fish.

But as much as he loved the ranch, he knew he couldn't go back. It hurt even to think about it because every memory made him think of-

_Amber, I wonder if you miss home as much as I do? _

When Jonny came out of his thoughts, he realized Kelly's face was right in front of his, their noses touching.

"Hello in thereeeeee!" Kelly said it playfully.

"Ack!" Jonny flailed back, bumping the back of his head against the train window behind him.

Kelly made no attempt to hide her giggle at that from him.

"Hehehe. Are you all right?"

"Just dandy." Jonny winced and rubbed the back of his head. "I like a good game of peek-a-boo better than just about anybody, but how 'bout a little warning next time?"

"I did!" Kelly said. "I called you three times! What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Nothing."

Kelly shrugged and didn't press the matter. Jonny glanced at her once and caved in for that exact reason.

"All right," he said. "I reckon I'm a little homesick, that's all."

Kelly leaned back and put her hands behind her head.

"I thought the whole reason you came here was to leave home behind?"

"It was….it is. I can't go back there. I don't want to go back there. But I still miss it, ya know? Gawd, that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

Kelly didn't answer. She pursed her lips, thinking. Then she suddenly slapped her thighs, jumped up and tugged Jonny's arm.

"C'mon," she said. "Let's go!"

"Go where?" Jonny tried to resist, but Kelly pulled him along easily. With her super strength, she could probably throw him back to Arizona if she wanted to. She pulled him out of the train car and into the dark, dank concrete subway. Jonny looked around and the grim sight disheartened him even more.

"What are we doing out here?"

"You need to relax." Kelly said. "Loosen the serious pants."

"Loosen the what now?"

"You know what I mean!" Kelly said. "You need to relax and stop taking everything so seriously. You know…have fun every once in a while?"

Jonny folded his arms.

"I have fun all the time." He said defensively.

"Yeah. You so look it!" Kelly rolled her eyes. "Sometimes when there's nothing around you that makes you laugh, you gotta make yourself laugh."

"Uh-huh. And how do I do that, pray tell?"

"By being silly!" Kelly suddenly crossed her eyes and stuck out her berry tongue.

Jonny exhaled a laugh, followed by a smile.

"You're crazy!" He said.

"So are you!" Kelly replied. "You just don't know it yet! Now don't you feel better?"

Jonny rubbed the back of his neck.

"I reckon so."

"Ah reckuhn sooooo!" Kelly mimicked him outrageously. "That's not good enough! I reckuhn we have to take extreme measures!"

She tapped her fingernail against her chin, thinking.

"I got it." She snapped her fingers. "We gotta dance!"

Jonny's face was immediately reluctant.

"I ain't really the dancing kind…" He drawled.

"It's because you take yourself so seriously." Kelly pointed out. "You have to loosen up and not be self-conscious. Let your body be free."

"All right," Jonny gave in. "Just let me grab my guitar-"

"Nu-uh." Kelly wagged a finger. "You can't dance and play a guitar at the same time!"

"Obviously you've never seen Dwight Yoakam." Jonny muttered, but Kelly was already going on.

"We don't need music for this. Just let your heartbeat be the rhythm."

Kelly began to dance slowly, gracefully swaying back and forth. She held her hands above her head and her hips swiveled. She never looked away from Jonny and the look in her eyes was strangely intimate. Continuing her hypnotic movements, she gestured to Jonny.

"You try." Kelly said and instructed when she saw his grimace. "Bend your knees."

Jonny reluctantly did that.

"Now just flow. Move your hips."

Jonny woodenly began to dance and Kelly laughed.

"Get the stick out of your ass, Jonny! Loosen up! Relax!" Kelly reached out, grabbed his belt and shook his hips every which way.

Jonny could have sworn he was suddenly in a snow globe. He felt his brain slosh around in his skull.

"O-o-o-okay!" His voice was as shaky as the rest of his body. "I'm loose! If you shake any harder I'm gonna be relaxed _permanently!_"

Kelly released him from her grip and he dizzily reoriented himself.

"This is silly." He complained. "How can you dance without music?"

"You're not trying hard enough." Kelly told him. "Close your eyes. Listen to your heart. Let that be your beat."

Jonny closed his eyes. He frowned.

"I don't hear anything here."

"Here." Kelly reached out and grasped his wrist. She placed his palm over her heart. "Use mine."

Kelly's skin was warm. Even as Jonny recognized that sensation, her heartbeat registered to his senses. It was strong; much stronger than the cowboy might have guessed. He felt it echoing up his arm with every th-thump. In that moment, they were somehow connected.

"Can you hear it?" Kelly asked.

Jonny nodded silently.

"Now," Kelly went on. "Listen to it. Feel it. Let go, relax and let it do what your body naturally wants to do."

Jonny did as she said. His body didn't dance. Without thought, without reservation, he opened his eyes and looked deeply into Kelly's own. Kelly's heartbeat vibrated through him. He leaned down slowly, his face drawing closer to Kelly's.

"Jonny, we can't." It came out as a whisper. Jonny stopped just short of contact and hovered there. Kelly's breath rushed over his lips. Teasing him. Tantalizing him.

"Why not?"

"Jonny." Kelly's voice nearly cracked. "I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

Jonny was barely listening. Her words brushed by his consciousness. He was absorbed in her face and eyes and lips. And despite her words, Kelly didn't pull away. A thrill ran through Jonny as he felt her heartbeat quicken. He traveled the last inch of space that separated them.

And he kissed her. Kelly stiffened at the contact and for a moment Jonny thought he'd made a mistake but then she melted back into him. Warm, wet softness assaulted Jonny's senses, accompanied by the steady tempo of Kelly's heartbeat. He reached blindly down and guided Kelly's hand to his own chest, so she could feel the same thing.

"Artemis! Maverick!"

Jonny and Kelly recoiled guiltily from each other, as if they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Slade stood in the doorway of the subway train. If he had seen their embrace, there was no way to tell.

"Come," he said before walking back into the subway. "It's time to discuss tomorrow's mission."

Jonny and Kelly shared a brief, tentative look and slowly followed.

."Hey, Kelly." Jonny said before they reached the door.

"Y-Yeah?"

"The accent..I don't really sound like that, do I?"

Kelly laughed.

TTTTTTTTTT

The mess that had been covering Beast Boy's desk was the stuff nightmares were made of. Beast Boy had been accused of many things in his life - many of them true - but being tidy had never been one of them. He had half expected some living monstrosity made of old tofu and spilled juice to jump out as he cleaned up, but he finished without incident.

Always before, the desk had been nothing but a glorified table. Dirty dishes, old comic books, worn clothes...anything Beast Boy wasn't immediately using was thrown haphazardly on it or stuffed into its drawers. But now it actually looked like the desk it was supposed to be. With the wooden top clear, Beast Boy set down a notebook and thick algebra book on top of it. He took a deep breath, put on his game face and sat down with a purpose. He cracked open the book, flipped a pencil between his fingers and went to work.

No one had ever accused Beast Boy of being an intellectual either, but that didn't mean he was stupid. In fact, he had been around brilliant minds all his life, from his biologist parents to Cyborg to Steve Dayton, a man so smart he invented a helmet to augment his intelligence. Some of their influence and tutelage had inevitably stuck with the flighty changeling.

No, Beast Boy's problem didn't lie in his lack of intelligence. It was his lack of commitment and his short attention span. Beast Boy's mind fleeted from one thought to another before the first could be registered and analyzed. But now he had a reason to fight his nature and focus his concentration.

Terra. Or as she went by now, Julia Markov. A little bit of homework was a small price to pay for the opportunity to be around her. But even as he attacked the numbers in the book before him, worry gnawed at his heart. Cyborg and the Star Labs lady - Sarah her name was - had told him that the access to his human form was only temporary. His days with Terra were numbered. Once he turned green and was recognizable again, it would all be over. Terra had spurned Beast Boy. Garfield was the only one left with a chance, and he would only exist for a few more days. Beast Boy sighed and tried to think of something else as he worked.

While Garfield shared each of Terra's classes, Beast Boy knew his best chance with her was in Biology. The teacher had paired them together for an assignment. The one on one time with her was invaluable.

Beast Boy thought back to the school day. It had been a thrill to be around Terra again; it filled the implacable emptiness within him. He had watched her from afar for some time now, but that couldn't compare to being in her presence. Terra had once had the power to move the earth, but to Beast Boy she was much more like the wind. She exuded a soft freedom and a sense of adventure that-

Beast Boy's pencil stopped moving across the paper. While he didn't look away, the numbers before his eyes blurred into nothingness. The Terra he had been with today was different. She was timid and subdued. It was almost as if-

A light knocking at the door interrupted his thoughts. Beast Boy swiveled in his chair.

"It's open!" He called.

The door slid open and Aquagirl stepped inside, wearing the blue, black and white swimsuit Cyborg had fashioned for her. Her modifications to it allowed it to show a lot of her pale, clear skin and Beast Boy had trouble finding a safe place for his eyes. She held something in her hands, but Beast Boy was distracted by other things.

"What's up?" He asked.

"You missed dinner." Aquagirl said. "So I thought I'd bring you some tofu."

Beast Boy was genuinely grateful. He had ignored his pinched stomach all day in light of other matters, but now that the thought of food hit him, he was suddenly ravenous.

"Whoa, thanks a lot, Aquagirl!" He said, reaching out for the plate. "That's really nice of you!"

As Beast Boy began to greedily stuff his face, Aquagirl looked down at his desktop.

"What are you working on?" She asked.

"orghgho!" Beast Boy tried to talk before he realized his mouth was full. He held up a finger and chewed with teenage determination. A moment later, he emptied his mouth with one big gulp. Free of oral obstruction, he offhandedly answered. "Just some homework."

"Homework, huh? Since when did the Titans go to school?" Aquagirl said.

Beast Boy blinked as he realized just what he had said. He quickly shook his head.

"N-no! Nothing like that!" He sweat. "I'm just calling it homework fig...figarai...uh..."

"Figuratively?" Aquagirl supplied.

"Right! Like that!" Beast Boy nodded fast enough to disorient himself. "Just..ya know...independent study. Gotta keep the mind sharp and all that! Heheheh!"

Aquagirl pursed her full lips.

"No offense," she began. "But you don't really seem like the studious type."

"I'm jes full of surprises!" Beast Boy smiled playfully. But then his face suddenly grew thoughtful. "Aquagirl?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have any memories, right?"

"I remember." Aquagirl smirked.

"What if...like..." Beast Boy paused, carefully formulating his question. "What if you met a boy tomorrow and he said he knew you; that he was your boyfriend, ya know, and that you really cared for each other. How would you feel?"

Aquagirl swayed back and forth, thinking.

"I don't know. I guess I'd be happy to find some connection to my past. But at the same time it would be weird. How could I have feelings for a complete stranger? It's kinda creepy, actually."

"Oh..." Beast Boy deflated.

"What made you ask that?" Aquagirl asked.

"Wh-What? Just wondering, that's all!"

Aquagirl gave him a questioning look, but then she shrugged it off. On an impulse, she picked up the algebra book and hopped up to sit on Beast Boy desk. She flipped through a few pages and blinked in surprise.

"Hey...I remember this!"

"I'm glad one of us understands it." Beast Boy said wryly.

"Here, it's simple!" Aquagirl supplied. She laid down the book and pointed. "To find the area all you have to do is-"

TTTTTTTTTT

Commissioner Walker stood in the small antechamber and looked through the one-way window at Jeff the bank robber. The commissioner saw right away that Jeff was a worthless little shit, no better than his cronies. As clearly as if it had been stamped on his forehead, Walker knew Jeff was a life-long, low-level criminal and a junkie to boot. Walker didn't have much patience for anyone, but he had even less for alcoholics and addicts. In his line of work he had seen first-hand the horrible effects booze and drugs have on a human life.

But the question remained: How did a nobody like Jeff get his hands on hi-tech laser weaponry? The arsenal Jeff and his fellow goons had possessed was probably worth more money than they had tried to steal from the bank. Laser weaponry was rare in the criminal community because of their expensive price. Only high-class crooks had access to them. Laser guns were usually non-lethal, but nonetheless effective in putting policemen and superhero freaks alike out of commission. And if the high-class criminal - or his lackeys - happened to be arrested they didn't have that pesky murder charge to deal with and their lapdog lawyers would have them out of lockup within the hour. It was infuriating.

But there had been no lawyers tonight. No one had contacted the precinct about Jeff and his gang. There was no way they could have gotten the weaponry on their own. That meant their boss - whoever he was - had abandoned them. That presented one hell of an opportunity. Jeff and the others were nothing. If Commissioner Walker could nab his boss, it would be worth arresting a million Jeffs. There were always junkies and hard luck men willing to do anything to get ahead. The ones in power that provided them with weapons and purpose were the real dangerous ones.

And now Walker had his chance to put one of them away. He had questioned each of the bank robbers. From what he could gather, Jeff had rounded the others up randomly. Which meant they were out of the loop; peons compared to Jeff. Jeff was the only one connected to the higher up, but he wasn't talking.

The door opened behind the commissioner and Robin walked into the room.

"Have you gotten anything out of him?" Robin asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Not yet." Commissioner Walker lit up a cigarette and exhaled smoke. "Where's your girlfriend at?"

"Just because Starfire and I are together doesn't mean we're connected at the hip." Robin pointed out.

"Yeah, only at the pelvis."

Robin did a double-take and went red in the face.

"C-Commissioner!"

Commissioner Walker chuckled smoke.

"It was a joke, Wonder Boy. Pull the stick out of your ass."

Robin cleared his throat.

"Can we get down to business now?"

"He's the only one who knows anything." Walker pointed through the glass at Jeff. "The guy's a complete junkie. An Icehead or a Bloodhound or whatever the kids are calling them now. Looks like he's been on Iceblood for years."

Robin looked through the one-way window at the sweating and shaking Jeff.

"He doesn't look so good." He said.

"You wouldn't look too hot yourself if you were detoxing from that shit." Walker said. "I've been letting him ride it out a bit. The guy's in pain. Now's the best time to try to get something out of him."

"Isn't that a little inhumane?"

"Pshh." Walker made the indelicate sound. "If this guy's gotta be a little uncomfortable for us to bring in the bastard who exploits people like him and causes crime throughout the city, I ain't gonna lose no sleep. We gotta look at the big picture."

"Well said, Commissioner." Robin nodded.

"I got a way with words." Walker said modestly. "Now let's go bust this guy's chops."

A short walk later and Commissioner Walker entered the interrogation room with Robin following close behind. The room was small and bare, with a chair, a table and a hanging light overhead.

"You!" Jeff yelled and pointed an accusatory finger in Robin's general direction. "This is all your fault! You and your brats!"

Jeff weakly stumbled out of his chair and made a pitiful lunge at Robin, but Walker lazily caught him by the scruff of his neck and shoved him back into his chair. Jeff didn't try a second time.

"What's our fault?" Robin asked neutrally. He just wanted to get the man talking.

"This! Everything! Don't you get it? I'm dead because of you! Dead!"

"You look alive to me." Commissioner Walker flicked ashes on the floor. "Not well, but alive."

"Not for long!" Jeff fidgeted horribly. "He's gonna kill me! He's got to!"

"Who?" Robin leaned forward with his palms down on the table. "Who's going to kill you?"

"Are you crazy? I can't tell you that!"

"Why not?" Robin said flatly. "He's going to kill you anyway."

Jeff gave him such a look that Robin immediately felt bad for saying that.

"M-Maybe it'll be okay..." Jeff went into a bout of denial. "Maybe I'm not worth it. I'm not worth it, am I?"

"I don't know." Walker said. "I'd say a guy who got his hands on the kind of arsenal your boys were packing is pretty damn important."

Jeff shivered and hugged himself.

"Tell us about the guy you pissed off, Jeff." Walker said.

"N-no way!" Jeff shook his head. "He's gonna kill me! You guys gotta protect me!"

"Maybe we can arrange something." Walker mused vaguely. "But you gotta give us a reason to. Right now you're useless to us. Why should we bother to save you?"

"Hey! I got information you want, right?" Jeff wiped his oily forehead with a sleeve. "You guys gotta take care of me! I can help you!"

Robin was losing his patience. He leaned over and stuck a belligerent chin in Jeff's face.

"The only person you need protection from right now is me." He said coldly. "Start talking!"

Despite the nervous glimmer in Jeff's eye, he laughed in the Boy Wonder's face.

"You can't intimidate me!" Jeff said bravely. "There are rules you gotta follow! You can't hurt me!"

"It depends on how you interpret them, twerp." Walker said casually. "Robin here is a vigilante. He's not an official part of the law enforcement community. Why do you think he wears a mask? It's to protect him from perjury. It allows him to do things I could never get away with."

Doubt returned to Jeff's face.

"B-b-but-!"

"Of course." Walker went on. "If I saw him do something illegal, I'd have to report it. But you know...I'm getting kinda thirsty. Maybe I'll decide to go get a bit of coffee, hm? I shouldn't be gone for more than ten, fifteen minutes tops. I'm sure Robin here would be more than glad to look over your while I'm gone."

Jeff jerked his head to look at Robin. Robin's cape fell over his shoulders and the slits of his eyemask glared into Jeff's skull.

"Thrilled." Robin uttered.

Commissioner Walker shrugged as if the gravity of the exchange was lost on him and made for the door. He had barely reached for the doorknob when-

"Wait! Wait!" Jeff blubbered. "I'll talk! Okay! Don't leave me alone with this freak!"

"So?" Walker came back over. "Talk."

"He's just The Boss." Jeff began. "I don't know his name. I've never seen the guy."

"How does he contact you?" Robin asked.

"I've never talked to him directly. Rick just tells me what to do. He's the one that gets all the orders."

"Okay. Tell us about Rick." Commissioner said. Then he suddenly blinked. "Rick? Rick Flag?"

Jeff blinked back at him.

"I dunno. I think so? I don't really pay attention to that stuff. Maybe."

Walker chewed on his cigarette, his mind racing. Then he jerked the radio from his belt and brought it to his face.

"I need a pick up in interrogation room two." He said into the receiver. "Put him in the isolation chamber. I want two guards at the door at all times. Step to it."

Walker replaced the radio at his belt, motioned to Robin and the two of them left the room.

"Who's Rick Flag?" Robin asked as they walked down the hallway.

"Not sure." Walker growled as he walked with a purpose. "Holly - my daughter - is investigating him. She said something about checking out an address of his. I'm afraid she's about to bite off more than she can chew."

"Where are we going?"

"My office." Walker said.. "I left my cell phone in there."

"Commissioner," Robin said. "You weren't really going to leave me alone with that guy, were you?"

Walker glanced at him, but didn't answer right away. He flicked his spent cigarette into a potted plant as they walked past.

"Does it matter? It's not like you were going to do anything to him, right?"

Robin said nothing. Not long later they reached the commissioner's office and went inside. Walker picked up the cell phone on the desk, flicked it open and quickly dialed a number. He held the phone up to his ear for a long moment before he cursed.

"She's not picking up." He snatched up his coat and broke into a trot. "Let's go save my little girl."

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonny couldn't understand how Kelly could sit there with such a straight face. For Jonny himself, thoughts and feelings kept pulling him in all directions even as he tried to listen to Slade explain their mission.

"Gemini Industries is perceived as a legitimate world-wide business, but nothing could be further from the truth." Slade was saying. "It's leader, Maryse Gemini, has no morals...and little style. She has more money that most countries and she uses it to place herself above the law."

Jonny was barely listening. He and Kelly stood in the subway car he had rarely seen. It was put aside for Slade's personal use and, as far as he could see, it seemed to be a cross between a study and a workshop. There was a large table in the center of the room with a large schematic of the Gemini Building spread across it. Jonny made a show of looking down at it as Slade talked, but his mind was elsewhere.

What had come over him earlier? Being so close to Kelly had brought up feelings in him he hadn't expected. At first they excited him, but then he was suddenly and horribly assaulted by guilt.

_I'm so sorry, Amber. I never meant to-_

"Maryse Gemini is no longer satisfied with her wealth. She wants something more."

"What does she want?" Kelly asked.

Kelly's face was all business. She showed no outward signs of being affected by the kiss they had shared earlier. Jonny's initial instinct was to be hurt by the fact, but he knew Kelly well enough by no to know how well she hid her emotions when she wanted to. Her serious face in no way reflected what she was feeling inside.

"Power." Slade answered. 'There comes a time for many people where money becomes meaningless. In the end - for these people, of course - power is the only currency that matters."

"Knowledge is power." Jonny muttered unconsciously.

Both Slade and Kelly looked at him sharply and Jonny was quickly aware again.

"Very good, Maverick." Slade said. "It's good to see you so focused. I thought perhaps your mind would be on other things."

Jonny nodded automatically, but that offhand comment sent the wheels in his brain clicking again. Slade had called them in the very midst of their kiss. How much had he seen? And if he had, just how would he take it? Jonny peered at him closely without trying to be too obvious about it, but Slade was impossible to read. His face was covered by his omnipresent mask and his single eye was as steady as ever.

"Miss Gemini is seeking the secrets of the universe." Slade went on.

"Is that so bad?" Jonny asked.

"Not by itself." Slade said. "But Maryse has become obsessed with her search for knowledge. Nothing else matters to her anymore. She steals the resources and coerces and extorts the things and people she can't buy. People who oppose her disappear and never return. And, perhaps the worst of all, she performs human experiments on unwilling, kidnapped subjects."

"Human experiments?" Jonny repeated. He glanced over at Kelly and saw her face was no longer neutral. Her lip was curled upwards in a disgusted sneer of righteous indignation.

"There's nothing she won't do to further her own pursuit of knowledge." Slade said. "I've discovered two such experiments located in her headquarters here in Jump City." He reached under the table to bring out another file and handed it to Kelly. Jonny leaned over and looked over her shoulder at it.

The front was a blown-up picture of two smiling little girls with dimples, shining eyes and messy hair. Their arms were wrapped around each others' necks and a flower bush framed them in the background. It was slightly blurry, evidence that it wasn't a planned photo but something taken spontaneously.

"My god," Jonny said. "They're just kids."

"This is the most recent picture of them I could find." Slade explained. "They're much older now...closer to your age, actually."

"And Gemini has been holding them against their will all this time?"

Slade nodded silently, watching him carefully for a reaction. Jonny's face hardened and his jaw tightened. He looked at the picture of the two little girls and thought of the years Gemini had stolen from them; precious time they would never get back.

"We're gonna save'em." He declared resolutely. "And bring them back to their family. They deserve it."

"That's not possible." Slade told him. "Gemini does not leave loose ends. Turn the page."

Kelly did so to reveal a black and white newspaper article. There was a picture of a blackened husk of a house and the headline read: _Explosion Kills Family of Four_.

"Officially it was declared an accident." Slade said in a voice that made the article all the more chilling. "They say the basement furnace malfunctioned. But we all know better. Gemini couldn't risk having the parents call attention to the missing girls, so they had to be eliminated."

Tragic as the story was on its own, it somehow hit Jonny extra hard. He could imagine all too well a little girl growing up without her parents. His chest clenched at the thought.

"Tell us how we can help." Jonny said with a cold determination.

"That's why we're here." Slade intoned. He then proceeded to explain the plan in minute detail. And he has Jonny's full attention.

TTTTTTTTTT

Rick wasn't afraid of much. He'd grown up on the street and seen all kinds of nasty things. He'd learned to harden his heart and, more importantly, how to survive. But although he tried his best to hide it, Rick was afraid of Sammy.

Sammy wasn't just dark-skinned; his skin was so black that it didn't seem natural. It would look much more appropriate on a shadow than a living, breathing human being. His curly white hair and blue eyes stood out starkly and looked as if they didn't belong to the rest of him. Sammy was always in expensive, hand-made suits, sewn exclusively with him in mind, and designer sunglasses. He was the soul of professionalism; as urbane and sophisticated as a man could get.

Which was why it was so disturbing when Sammy went to work. The boss referred to Sammy as his 'problem solver'. Whenever he had a problem, Sammy was sent to solve it. Sammy was not a negotiator or a man of tact. In his prime he had been one of the premiere fighters in the world and, even now, his prowess hadn't diminished much. Whispers of his coming in the criminal community was met with fear and apprehension. Sammy was an attack dog, pure and simple: vicious and unemotional. The cool demeanor in which he carried himself during his ruthlessness was what made Rick's skin crawl. The acts of violence were carried out methodically without a bit of emotion tacked to them.

Still, while Rick feared Sammy, he at least understood him. Sammy was absolutely loyal and everything he did was the boss' will. The same couldn't be said for Deshaun. If Rick feared Sammy, Deshaun made him very, very nervous.

Deshaun had splotchy, cinnamon-colored skin covered in freckles and short-cropped red hair that looked almost burnt. He was tall and lankly, thin on the point of emancipation. His eyes had a wide, bulging quality and never blinked. He seemed to have an aversion to soap and water and was a walking, talking miasma of pungent aroma. Rick put up with the cold air blowing in from the window he'd cracked open for some measure of relief from the smell.

Deshaun's clothes were plain and baggy and as tattered and dirty as the rest of him. Rick knew, hidden in the folds, were at least two butterfly knives and probably more he didn't know about. Deshaun always carried one in his hand, lazily flicking it open and closed, open and closed in a seemingly meditative manner. Rick had seen first hand the speed and accuracy - and absolute heartlessness - in which Deshaun could use them. Oftentimes his attacks seemed entirely unprovoked and at random. Rick always watched him very closely. He knew it was only a matter of time before, one day, Deshaun would try to slide one of those blades between his own ribs.

And completing the foursome was Miss Maria Juarez, sitting beside Rick in the back seat with a hand-held electronic device in her hand. She was younger than the title would suggest, but she insisted on the formal mode of address. Rick suspected she didn't want to get personal with all the unsavory characters she was forced to work with. He didn't blame her. There had only been one person whom she allowed to call her Maria, but she was no longer with them.

Rick watched her, her face silhouetted against the window and the city night zipping by outside of it. The device in her hand beeped regularly, but she ignored it to look out the window with a sad, forlorn face. Rick didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to but, for some reason, found himself speaking anyway.

"You should focus on the job. It'll help."

Maria looked at him with surprised brown eyes and the let out a bitter, sardonic laugh.

"Lord help me. I must _really_ look out of it if _you're_ trying to cheer me up." She said.

Rick wasn't offended by the implication of that. Instead he said:

"It's just advice, Miss Juarez. Today I lost a friend myself."

Maria looked at him closely, some of the grief washing from her pretty face as curiosity took over.

"You don't look very sad." The curiosity turned to suspicion.

"I'm not." Rick said flatly. "My friend was a jackass and an idiot of the highest order. I doubt I'll miss him very much."

The grief returned to Maria's face.

"Well, my friend wasn't...and I will."

Rick had nothing to say to that. The device in Maria's hand beeped and she looked quickly down at it.

"Turn left up here." She told Sammy.

Sammy glanced at her via the rear-view mirror with his shaded eyes and obediently did as she said.

"It's a good thing when people die." Deshaun spoke up suddenly from the passenger seat, flicking his knife. "It makes them so much more interesting, don't you think?"

Maria's face grew hard.

"Only you would say something like that." She replied coldly.

Deshaun just shrugged.

Sammy looked into the rear-view mirror again.

"Tell me what you know about this chick." He asked Rick.

Rick fidgeted, than grunted in frustration when he realized he had.

"Not much." He answered gruffly. "We caught her snooping around one of the warehouses down at the docks. We chased her off; I wrecked and lost my car in the process, though."

"I'm sure our illustrious employer will take care of that for you." Sammy commented magnanimously. "The chick...was she a cop or one of those hero freaks?"

"I don't think she's a hero." Rick shook his head. "And she don't drive like any cop I've ever seen. I would've looked around for bugs, but I thought we caught her before she could plant any."

"You should be more careful." Sammy said.

Rick replied with a look of irritation, but he thought better than to comment on the advice. Instead, he said:

"Anyway, the place had been compromised so we had to move the merchandise. I should've known better than to trust Jeff with that."

"What did he do?" Sammy wanted to know.

"He got himself killed." Rick said bluntly. "I'm sure you'll be hearing the details soon enough."

"Wait." Maria said then and pointed. "We're here."

"You sure?" Sammy asked.

"That's where the bug's frequency is coming from, yeah."

Sammy slowed the black SUV and pulled over to the curb, just beyond the round halo of light from a flickering street lamp. The four of them looked out the windows to see the building Maria had indicated. Through the darkness they could just make out the sign along the front.

_Hunter Detective Agency_

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonathon was grimly certain that his hands would never be warm again. He had spent the entire day scrubbing the dried mud caked all over Holly's car despite the fact he was quite sure car cleaning hadn't been listed as one of his duties when he accepted the job. The mud had clung stubbornly - defiantly, even - to the car and Jonathon found he had to remove it layer by layer by soaking it and wiping it away.

At last, just as the sun faded away, the little car sparkled immaculately and Jonathon was proud of the result. Then, without so much as a thank you, Holly told him she was leaving to check out a lead and hopped inside. She had only gone a short distance down the street when she drove through a big, stagnant mud puddle left over from the previous night's downpour. Jonathon winced as grimy brown water splashed up on the side of the once clean car. The sacrifice he had put his hands through had been in vain.

Jonathon sighed, turned and walked into the agency. It was decidedly warmer inside and he hoped it would - eventually - thaw his frozen hands. The lights were out; Holly had clicked them off without considering that her employee had to come back in to lock up and get his stuff. Jonathon left them as they were. It was far from pitch black and the cool dimness was somehow cozy to his senses.

After a few minutes inside, he could almost feel his hands again. His palms turned a dusky, splotchy red as he became self-aware of them again, though his fingertips were still numb He opened and closed his hands over and over, trying to get blood circulating again.. Then, as he did so, Jonathon walked through the darkness and climbed the stairs up to Holly's office.

It was an absolute mess, just as it always was at the end of the day. Not an inch of desktop could be seen. It was littered with files, coffee mugs and fast food wrappers. There was also the radio Holly had used to listen in on the bug she had planted and an open laptop computer glowing harshly in the dark.

The radio suddenly squawked out static, making Jonathon start horribly. He took a surprisingly long time to catch his breath and to calm his pounding heart. Then, as the adrenaline started to ebb in his veins, he reached out and switched the machine off. He picked up the food wrappers, crunched them into one big ball and turned to Holly's wastebasket.

That was an exercise in futility. It was filled to the brim, mostly with crumpled up printer paper. Holly liked to play basketball as she thought. She'd crumple up paper and shoot it from her desk through a little plastic hoop hanging over the wastebasket. At first she had been really bad at it. She didn't bother to gather up her missed shots, so it was up to Jonathon to round them all up and throw them away. Lately, she had become quite accurate. Unfortunately, Jonathon still had to pick up paper. The basket filled up quickly and Holly didn't seem to care if her shots stayed in the waste basket or not. As long as she hit her target, she was satisfied.

Jonathon sighed and turned to go downstairs to go get the wastebasket by his own desk when he heard the distinct sound of a car door slamming shut. The scare from the radio had somewhat mellowed him and it took him a moment to realize the sound was out of place. He pulled back his sleeve to look at his wristwatch; it was just before midnight. Jonathon knew the rest of the street was comprised of other small businesses, all of which would have closed hours ago. A little alarmed, he crept to the window behind Holly's desk and peeked through the closed blinds.

He didn't see the car itself, but he did see the people it must have been carrying. There were four shadowy figures almost casually avoiding the light. They were walking directly for the agency front. Jonathon squinted but, by the time they were close enough to make out any features, the lead figure suddenly looked up at the window he was peeking out of. Jonathon quickly snapped the blinds back closed, fear galloping through him. He spun about, clumsily searching Holly's cluttered desk for her phone.

The bell ringing above the door downstairs might as well have been the creaking sound of the gates of hell opening. Panic ran rampant through Jonathon's body. His search for the phone was forgotten and he looked desperately for a hiding place. He found one and shoved himself inside, even as the strangers came up the staircase.

"She is up here somewhere." Jonathon heard one of them say. There was no real accent, but the tone was somehow abnormally formal. "I saw the blinds move as we were approaching."

"I'll find her." Another sneered and Jonathon didn't like the inflection in his voice.

"Alive!" Yet another of them stressed. "Don't get too happy with those blades of yours."

"Yeah, yeah."

"This is all we need." The last of them said, this one a woman's voice. "I can get all the information we need from this."

Jonathon peeked out of his hiding place to see a young woman peering at Holly's laptop.

"We should still find the girl." A tall, dark-skinned man with white, curly hair said. "She should be dissuaded from concerning herself with our business." He noisily cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

"Found her." The one searching said with satisfaction. Jonathon caught a whiff of his unwashed skin and his knees trembled as he watched him advance on the storage closest, flicking his knife open and closed. The ugly young man snatched open the closet door and brought his knives to bear.

The closet was empty.

Jonathon burst out of a tall cabinet. He shoved the surprised knife wielder down, ran past the others, snatched up Holly's laptop computer and scrambled for the stairs.

"Don't just stand there! Get him!"

The thieves fell over themselves to follow, chasing him and taking the stairs five steps at a time. By the time Jonathon made it outside, the thieves were right behind him. His moped was tethered to a bike rack not far away, but he knew he didn't have time to unchain it and get it started before he was caught so he ran across the street instead. The thieves followed him, but they were suddenly stopped in their tracks as a pair of headlights blinded them. There was the sound of a door opening and then of a gun cocking.

"Everybody freeze!"


	18. Oct 6: What Format?

_"This is our last night together." - Kelly_

**What Format?**

**October 6th  
Early Morning**

Fall was the death of the year as life faded from everything lush and green and vibrant. Starfire could smell it in the cold breeze that pushed red and brown leaves before it like droplets of dried blood. The brittle, shriveled leaves scraped and skittered across the concrete like fleeing insects. The fresh decay tasted bitter; somewhere between sadness and regret. Despite the fact Starfire's alien physiology was resistant against harsh temperatures, she found herself shivering. The cutting wind cooled the blood and chilled the spirit.

Gotham City was perfectly suited for Fall, Starfire decided. It was a city perpetually on the brink of death; only something - or rather, someone - performed just enough CPR to keep it breathing on its deathbed. The was a drab darkness about the city; a stark grittiness that seemed to sink into its very stone. The wolves had surrounded the flock and, for the longest time, they were kept back by a single shepherd.

Robin, Starfire reminded herself, had been raised by that shepherd. He had grown up with darkness and danger on all sides. More than anyone or anything else, the city of Gotham had shaped much of what Robin was today. For that reason, the foreign city made Starfire a little nervous. Robin had breathed that darkness when she first met him. Their friends and the community of Jump City had eventually let him exhale and release much of it, but she knew it was still inside him. Gotham would always be a part of who Robin was and it was that part Starfire couldn't - or wouldn't - understand. Gotham represented a part of Robin that Starfire could never touch, as hidden as his eyes.

And then, as if just the thought of him was enough to summon him, Robin appeared. He flashed past behind Starfire in a blur of red and black.

"Robin?" Starfire turned and looked up to see the Boy Wonder vault himself up a rooftop and run along the edge. "Robin!"

Robin didn't slow down or even hesitate. If he had heard her, he gave no indication. His cape flapped around his shoulders as he leaped from the roof onto another, his boots stompstompstomping along the ledge. Starfire almost called to him, but something held her tongue. Instead she took to the sky and flew after him.

Robin, even at his most serious, had the playfulness and creativity of an acrobat. Starfire had watched him traverse Jump City a million times and never in the same way twice. She had seen him run weightlessly over clotheslines, richochet off flap poles, spin around street lights and flip over generators and antaneas and heating units. His movements were a kind of expressive freedom, unchained by the gravity that seemed to hold down everyone else.

Starfire didn't see that out of Robin now. He ran forward heavily with no finesse whatsoever with his head down like a charging bull. He jumped from roof to roof plainly with a kind of robotic efficiency that disheartened Starfire. It was as if Gotham had finally sucked away the last of his spirit.

Starfire followed him across the tallow yellow light of the cold afternoon sun. As they moved steadily east, the city became even more dilapidated. Though she didn't personally know the layout of the city, she knew just by looking that they were entering the poorest, most crime-ridden side of town. Robin moved in such a way that it became apparent to Starfire that something important was going on. He was a man on a mission and she had no other choice but to tag along and see just what that mission was.

Thought it made no sense, she had trouble keeping up with him. Her flgiht should have outdistanced him easily, but somehow she found herself straining just to keep him in sight. Many times she would catch up just in time to see his cape flicker around yet another corner.

It was always an old warehouse. There was something about the moldy,. decrepit buildings that were irresistible to the criminal element. They were big and functional and largely invisible to the public eye. Starfire saw Robin shoot a grappling hook and zipline up to the roof. He crouched over a skylight, lifted away a panel and dropped silently down inside. Starfire flew up after him and landed on the roof, her boots crunching the gravel. She cupped her hands over her face to peer through the skylight window and immediately gasped in horror.

Robin was being beaten. His downed form was hidden among the bodies and legs of the two dozen men that were stomping on him and clubbing him with whatever they could find.

"Robin!" Starfire laced her super-powered fists over her head and smashed down at the insubstantial glass...only the glass wasn't as insubstantial as she had thought.

THUNK!

Her attack bounced off. Starfire grit her teeth and tried again with all her might.

THUNK!

And again.

THUNK!

Desperate tears squeezed out of her eyes and she tried over and over and over to break through. There was no way inside and, down below, Robin was being beaten to death. He struggled to rise and one of his attackers caught him full in the mouth with a metal pipe. Starfire watched in horror as a stream of blood and teeth flew. Robin slumped back to the ground, no longer moving.

"No!" Starfire pounded the glass. The group of murders down below ignorned her. Slowly they back away from the Boy Wonder, revealing his face down, broken body more clearly. The sight nearly stopped Starfire's heart.

_**"NO!"**_ Starfire's eyes glowed and twin beams of righteous green energy shot out. The optic blasts bounced harmlessly of the glass and ricocheted into the sky.

And the, a miracle in and of itself, Robin moved. It was the slightest of twitches and Starfire couldn't be sure if she had seen it at all. But then he moved again and hope flooded back into Starfire's heart. She watched his trembling hand snake it's way to his belt.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The building suddenly exploded ni a giant ball of flame. The glass window -previously impenetrable- shattered in her face and the shock wave sent her ragdolling onto-

THUMP!

-her bedroom floor.

Gotham City and the warehouse disappeared, lost in her nightmare. Starfire was in her dark bedroom, lying on the cool floor with her pink blankets pooled messily around her. She lay there for a moment, blinking in the darkness as she tried to process everything.

It had all been just a dream...and yet it hadn't. There was something palpable about it that she couldn't shrug off to an overactive imagination. It had felt too real; she could still feel the heat from the explosion on her face and the soreness in the back of her throat and the aching of her fists as she beat against the impossibly indestructable window.

She noticed Silkie inching tentatively up to her, his monstrously cute face somehow conveying concern. Starfire gave him a wan smile and briefly ran an affectionate hand along his smooth, segmented back. Silke's look of concern didn't fade.

Starfire stood up and took a deep, shuddering breath. She went through the motions of putting the blankets back on her circular bed and smoothing out the wrinkles, but her thoughts were a million miles away. The fear and dread and loss she had felt at witnessing Robin's brutal death had not left her, but felt like an iron ball in the pit of her stomach. Logic was on her side, she knew. She tried to calmly explain to herself that it was nothing but a dream, but the perfectly valid explanation didn't make those feelings go away.

There was one way to put those feeling to bed for good. All she had to do was see Robin for herself, safe and sound in his bed. She tugged the blankets on last time to straighten them out and quietly padded out of the room.

The twisting hallways of Titans Tower were always dark. Despite its bright glass exterior that reflected back the sun, the passageways inside would be much more fitting within an old, dreary castle. On this night, they were somehow even more foreboding as Starfire traversed them.

One of the hazy shadows in the hall came to life and moved towards her. Starfire had lifted a fist and near conjured up a starbolt before she realized it was-

"Raven!" Starfire whispered in relief. "You startled me. Raven?"

Raven brushed by her without a word. The door to her bedroom slid open just beyond and she disappeared into it. Starfire blinked at her friend's strange behavior. She almost followed after her, but for now she had something more important to take care of then Raven's insomnia.

Starfire arrived at Robin's bedroom door not long later. She hesitated outside of it, unsure of her next course of action. In all likelihood, Robin was behind it, sound asleep in bed. Starfire felt guilty for waking him up just to assuage her own fears. Still, she could think of no other way to put those feelings to rest.

"Robin?" Starfire called lowly through the door. "Are you awake?"

Nothing but silence answered her.

"Robin?" She tried again, knocking lightly this time. "I do not wish to disturb you but-"

She stopped in mid-sentence. As he eyes adjusted to the dark, she noticed Robin's door was slightly ajar. Starfire held her breath, thinking. Though she knew it was an invasion of his privacy, she put her fingers to the small opening and moved the door aside.

It was dark in Robin's bedroom as well, but the moonlight filtering through the windows managed to soften it. Starfire had been in the room many times before. But now at the late hour, uninvited and in the dark, she felt like some kind of intruder. She took a tentative step towards the bed, but saw immediately that it was empty. It was neatly made and somehow lonely.

Those fears and doubts in Starfire's stomach suddenly tripled in size. She reached for the communicator at her belt and opened it with an electronic click.

TTTTTTTTTT

You couldn't cut the thick tension that hung in the air with a knife; you'd need a chainsaw, at least. Underneath the city in the hollowed out subway car that served as their bedroom, Jonny and Kelly lay side by side in bed. They laid stiffly on their backs, an invisible wall between them to ensure they didn't even come close to touching. They stared up at the ceiling through the darkness, Jonny fidgeting and Kelly hugging herself in the chill.

Sleep was an impossibility. The closeness, the comfort and the intimacy between them was suddenly gone. Jonny's skin prickled and it was like he was in bed with a total stranger. Not only that, but he felt more than a little guilty.

What had come over him earlier? It was much too soon for him to go looking for romance. There were too many things - the most important things - he had to square away first. He was as disappointed in himself as he was surprised at his selfishness. Kelly had been innocently trying to relax him in an anxious moment and Jonny couldn't help but feel as if he'd taken advantage of her friendliness.

In a combination of his nagging consciousness and the obscure dimness, a pretty face seemed to hover high above him. As beautiful as it was, Jonny found it hard to meet those shining blue eyes.

_I'm sorry, Amber. I didn't-_

The face frowned and dissipated into a kind of dark fog. It coalesced back together into a much smaller face, though the eyes were the same.

_Melody..._

"Are you asleep yet?" Kelly's voice came to him. The face faded to black and the awkwardness came rushing back.

"No. Are you?" Jonny's voice sounded hoarse even to himself.

"Nope."

The oppressive silence returned. Jonny began to fidget again.

"This is stupid." Kelly suddenly declared. "We're acting like little kids." She turned to lay on her side. "Look at me, Jonny."

Jonny took in a deep breath, steeled himself and turned to face her. Kelly was suddenly there; the closeness surprised him. Their noses were inches apart and he could feel her body heat emanating through the cold.

"Hi there." Kelly's breath washed over him.

"Howdy." Jonny breathed back.

"See?" Kelly grin was bright in the darkness. "It feels the same as it always has, doesn't it?"

"I reckon so." Jonny smiled, too. Kelly's grin was infectious. But then his face creased tentatively. "So...are we just gonna pretend nothing happened, then?"

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't know." Jonny said the truth plainly. "I don't think I'm ready yet for that kind of relationship." He paused and blinked. "I mean, I'm not presuming you'd want one with me or nothin', it's just-"

"You have a broken heart." Kelly finished for him.

That wasn't what Jonny had planned to say, but it was true all the same. Jonny had never really thought of it that way, but Kelly had hit the nail right on the head. It was strangely gratifying - and unsettling - that Kelly could read him better than he could himself.

"What gave me away?" He asked.

"Women notice things men tend to overlook." Kelly said it a little mysteriously. "I've known ever since we first met. That's why-" She stopped and bit her lip. Her eyes seemed suddenly very deep.

"Why what?" Jonny wanted to know.

"You should go home." Kelly said it quickly, as if she were afraid the words would get stuck in her throat if she belabored them too much.

"That's the one place I can't go, Kelly." Jonny told her. "At least not until I have a job and a place of my own."

"But do you have to do that here in the city?" Kelly almost pleaded. "Can't you do it somewhere else?"

Jonny couldn't help but be hurt by that. He rolled off his side and onto his back to look up again.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Kelly let out a sound that was somewhere between a helpless laugh and a sighing whimper.

"Of course not, Jonny. Don't make that sad hound dog face, okay? I'm just worried about you, that's all. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Jonny gave her his best reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

Kelly hugged his waist and buried her face in his chest.

"Kelly?" Jonny was surprised. "What's got into you all of a sudden?"

She looked up at him with her doe eyes.

"This is our last night together." She told him.

"What?"

"I mean, it could be, right?" She rambled on. "What we're doing tomorrow is dangerous, Jonny. One of us - or even both of us - might not make it back, ya know?"

"Now don't you go talking like that." Jonny found himself gently rubbing her back. "I ain't gonna let nothing happen to you and I got too many people counting on me for me to kick the bucket just now, ya hear?

Kelly sighed.

"Let's...just pretend then. Okay? If this _was_ our last night together, what would you want to do?"

Jonny pondered that, scratching his cheek with his free hand.

"I don't know." He nearly shrugged, but decided against it in fear of jostling Kelly. "To be honest, this right here is pretty nice to me."

"Nooooooooooo," Kelly hummed. She sat up in a sharp motion and folded her legs under her. She tapped out a beat on Jonny's leg without thought. "It has to be something _special_. Something we'll always remember."

Jonny was finding it a little hard to keep up with Kelly's uncharacteristically changing moods and changes of thought, but this one amused him. He propped himself up on one elbow and watched Kelly cutely chew on the pink lock of hair at her brow as the wheels in her head clicked and spun.

"You've been here for almost a week now..." She thought aloud, mostly to herself. "Just how much of the city have you seen?"

"Not much. The airport. I rode a trolley to downtown. The diner we eat at and the internet cafe you took me to. I reckon that's about it."

"That's it, then." Kelly stood up. "I have to show you the city! You haven't seen anything yet, country boy."

Jonny did a double take.

"What? Now?"

"This is out last night together, remember?"

"What if Slade catches us?"

That made Kelly hesitate, but then she winked impishly.

"Then we just won't let him catch us, will we?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Jeff was in hell. He had never been one to give much thought to religion, but there was no other way to describe it. His beloved Blood Ice was fading from his veins and leaving his system. His body screamed for more and was mightily pissed that it was denied. His nerve endings cried out in pain. His skin was prickly and sensitive and couldn't decide if it wanted to freeze or burn. He had vomited twice, thoroughly ruining his shoes. His stomach continued to knot and clench, but there was nothing left to come up. Sweat poured down his oily face, dropping off the point of his chin and measuring the painful seconds with a dripdripdrip.

Jeff's fear cut deeper than the pain of his detoxing body. He had crossed the boss, and that was something no one lived long enough to tell about. The plan had been simple enough; it had to have been for Jeff to come up with it. For several days now, he and Rick and some of the boys had been guarding an important shipment. They weren't supposed to know what it was, but Jeff had peeked anyway. It was possible that it might have been Blood Ice, and that was an opportunity Jeff couldn't resist. He had been disappointed when all he found was a stockpile of laser arms. Still, that has presented yet another opportunity in and of itself.

Jeff had gathered a handful of his buddies and sold them on the plan. They would take the weapons they needed, rob the bank and then have them back before anyone was the wiser. Of course, things had fallen apart when the Titans stuck their noses into the whole business. Jeff had gambled it all on this one heist and had lost the game. The police had promised to protect him, but they had no idea what they were messing with here.

As time passed, the detoxing began to take its toll on Jeff's mind. His fear and paranoia gave way to hallucinations. He was in a metahuman holding cell. He stood in the center of the room, his arms and legs bound to keep him from hurting himself. The room was dark with a single oval light hanging above him to create a halo of light for him to stand in. His eyes played tricks on him and he saw shadowy assassins in the corners, waiting to gut him or shoot him or some other unimaginable horror.

Jeff screamed.

Outside standing guard was Officer Brian Murphy, sitting in a plain chair by the door. The department still considered him a rookie despite the fact he had been with the force now for just over a year. It seemed he always got the crappy jobs. The undesirable tasks seemed to get delegated down the totem pole until they inevitably fell into his lap. Case in point, now he was stuck in a cold hallway on watch with nothing but a cup of coffee for company instead of in a warm bed with his pretty wife.

When he heard the scream, he quickly got up and looked through the narrow window to check in on Jeff, but he saw almost immediately that it was just a product of his drug-riddled brain. Murphy sat back down, but the screaming continued. At first he tried to ignore it, but Jeff's crazy yells were as irritating as they were unsettling. Murphy banged his fist against the steel door.

"Shut up in there, will ya!?"

Surprisingly, the prisoner quieted down. Satisfied, Officer Murphy smirked to himself and raised his coffee to his lips, but something made him stop in mid-sip. Something was murkily reflected on the rippling brown surface.

"What the hell...?" Murphy squinted and looked at the reflection closer. It looked almost like...a person. Murphy ripped the pistol from his holster and aimed hastily above him.

SLASH!

The gun was suddenly cleaved in two and clattered to the ground. In the next moment, a foot was planted solidly in his chest. Murphy flailed back and fell against the far wall. He looked up hazily at the murky figure striding up to him.

"...who-?"

The hilt of a sword was rammed into Murphy's face and the police guard slumped over senselessly. The dark figure turned away from the unconscious body and faced the metahuman cell door. He breathed in meditatively and put two fingers to the blade of his sword.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

The swordsman cut through wall and steel door alike with chilling ease. The ragged triangle shape cut groaned and fell inward with a clumsy crash.

Inside the cell, Jeff gasped and thrashed against his bonds.

"No! No! Don't kill me!" Jeff cringed away from his impending doom, but there was no one standing in the rough opening. Jeff panted and licked his lips, his eyes wild. "It's just part of the freak out man! It's not real...it's not real!"

"I'm the only reality you'll ever know."

A wave of black flash across the halo of light and disappeared into the ebony corners again.

Jeff gulped and trembled. His pants became wetter.

"Y-you're the shadow, aren't you?"

"That's what I love about this city." The surprisingly young-sounding voice said. "It's so easy to become an urban legend."

Jeff peered into the direction the voice had come from.

"You're going to kill me...r-r-r-right?"

"Yes." The voice came from the opposite side of the room. "The boss doesn't like it when his underlings don't do as they're told. It makes him look bad. How can he control a city if he can't control scum like you?"

"But-urgh!"

A cloud of black materialized into a teenage boy. Without a change of expression, the boy thrust a needle into Jeff's chest. Jeff's eyes bulged and for a brief, almost religious moment, time froze and he took in everything.

His murderer stood a foot away, watching him die. The boy's skin was pale and his hair was long and black, framing his face. His hands were gloved and his clothes dark and loose. He wore a pair of black shades low on his nose and from Jeff's higher vantage point he found he could look over them. The boy's eyes were as solid black and soulless as his shades.

Jeff reached out and involuntary clutched at his chest.

"What did you-"

"I gave you what you wanted." The swordsman smirked. "I gave you enough Blood Ice to last you for the rest of your life...which will only be a few more hours. I'm sure you'll enjoy them, though."

Jeff was already feeling the familiar cold surge through his veins. Only it was much stronger than he had ever felt. He began to shiver uncontrollably.

"I hope you can appreciate the irony." The swordsman said. Then, in a flash of smoky black, he vanished to leave Jeff to his fate.

Jeff's mind was already foggy. He looked around all bemused and smiled jerkily. Then he slurred:

"Black Eyes..."


	19. Present: Yet Another Plot Hook

"_Even a prepubescent Lindsey Lohan is a bad influence." - Jonny_

_**Yet Another Plot Hook**_

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

_**Morning**_

"She was dirty, wasn't she?" Melody asked in a mixture of eagerness and young self-confidence. "Kelly, I mean. Right?"

Jonny paused in his story. He had been chopping firewood during his retelling, but now he paused to wipe his brow with an old rag poking out of the back pocket of his jeans. He looked at his blonde, teenage daughter – almost a woman now – with a strange mix of emotion.

"What makes you say that?" He drawled slowly.

"It's only _obvious_!" Melody gestured big. "She's acting so suspicious with all that 'last night together' stuff. Face it, dad: She totally had you wrapped around her finger."

The middle-aged cowboy didn't reply.

"Besides," Melody went on obliviously. "It's not like I don't know who _Slade_ is!"

Jonny peered at his daughter.

"How do you know about him?" He asked her.

"Aunt Raven mentioned him and I looked him up in the online historical archives. You know how much I love researching superhero stuff."

"Damn internet." Jonny grunted sourly. Then he looked appraising at her. "You're a lot smarter than I was at your age."

"It's simple, dad." Melody said magnanimously. "There are good people in this world and there are bad people. Once you know that, it's easy to pick them out."

Jonny looked amused by that, but then his face grew serious.

"Thinking like that will get you in trouble." He said in a tone that got his daughter's full attention. "The first thing you learn in our business is that there isn't some imaginary line that divides good and evil; and if there is, most people stray from one side to the other every day. The world isn't black and white, Melody. Sometimes the people you think are on the wrong side of the line end up having the purest hearts. I'd remember that if I were you."

Melody's pretty little face softened.

"You really cared for Kelly a lot, didn't you, dad?"

Jonny smiled softly and there was a faraway look in his blue eyes that Melody couldn't place.

"I still do." He set up another block of wood and shouldered his ax. "Any more questions before we go on?"

"Yeah," Melody impatiently put her hands on her hips. "Just _when_ do you join the Titans already?"

Jonny laughed.

"Hold your horses, darlin'. We're getting there." In one smooth, full body motion he brought the ax whistling down. The wood split in a spray of chips and he kicked the two pieces over to one side with his boot. "Where's Yumi this morning?"

"Zillah kept her after practice." Melody shrugged. "She does that sometimes. I think she likes to teach her stuff she doesn't want me to know."

"I wish you'd call her Ms. Hikaru." Jonny said plaintively.

"She doesn't like it when I call her that." Melody suddenly laughed. "I remember a time when I wanted to call her Mrs. Johnson."

Jonny covered his face with his hand.

"I knew letting you and Yumi watch 'The Parent Trap' was a bad idea." He sighed. "Even a prepubescent Lindsey Lohan is a bad influence."

"Dad!"

"Did you tell her about me?" Jonny asked.

"I haven't talked to Lindsey Lohan lately." Melody replied with an absolute straight face.

Jonny gave her a stern look and she released her pent up giggle.

"Sorry, dad." She said then. "Yeah, I told Yumi about it."

"I reckon she's gonna want to hear the story, too, huh?" He asked ruefully.

"She'll be here soon." Melody nodded. "I'll fill her in on what she missed."

Jonny grunted noncommittally and hefted the ax again.

"So, where were we?"


	20. Oct 6: The Last Night

"_You're not a virgin." - Kelly_

**The Last Night**

**October 6****th**

**Early Morning (Part 2)**

Kelly impatiently pulled Jonny down the street by the hand. He wasn't quite the wide-eyed tourist he had been when he first arrived in Jump City. The idea he had of what the big city was supposed to be had been shattered. Even so, the people and the buildings still enthralled him. Kelly had been amused by the way the cowboy's head turned round and round, trying to take everything in, but his sightseeing was entirely too slow for her taste. After countless cajoling, she fixed the problem simply by dragging him along at her pace. Jonny's other hand kept his hat in place and he halfheartedly tried to dig in his boots to slow them down, but it was no use. Kelly's super-human strength defeated his efforts.

They turned onto another block and were met with a big, three story building. It was actually a warehouse, or at least built to look like one. The outside was old and plain and yet there was a superficiality to it that suggested perhaps it looked much more decrepit than it actually was. Multicolored lights and lasers streamed through the the windows in a flashing rainbow and a big, lit up sign on the roof read-

"Soto, huh?" Jonny drawled.

"Yep," Kelly smiled. "Best dance club in town. Very underground."

"Yeah, underground..." Jonny eyed the long line of teenagers and young adults in trendy – and sometimes bizarre – clothes waiting to get in while two burly doormen stood by the entrance with crossed arms and scowling faces. "It's gonna take forever to get in."

"Yeah, right!" Kelly tossed her head. "I'm not gonna spend my last night with you in a line. Come on!"

She led him around the corner of the club and down a dark alleyway, complete with dumpster and stagnant puddles. Jonny squinted through the dimness.

"Ain't no doors here." He pointed out. "Want to try the other side?"

"It's not a door I'm looking for." Kelly said slyly. "Look up."

Jonny did as she said and was greeted by the sight of a metal monstrosity that climbed up the side of the building like a cross between a mechanical spider and snake.

"What is it?" He asked.

Kelly did a double-take and laughed.

"You've never seen a fire escape before? You use it whenever you wanna get out of a building fast."

"Uh-huh," Jonny said. "And I'll wager you want to use it to get in, huh?"

"That's the plan." Kelly said.

Jonny looked up at it pensively.

"It sure is awfully _high_." He observed. "You really want to climb that thing?"

"What?" Kelly gave him a Cheshire smile. "Would you rather fly instead?"

Jonny coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Climbing it is." He noticed the bottom ladder was pulled up, leaving the first level of the fire escape some twelve feet from the ground. He jumped a few times, reaching up to grab the ladder, but it was just out of his reach.

"What a shame." He said, slightly proud of himself that he'd kept the satisfaction out of his voice. "I can't reach it."

Kelly smirked so wide it nearly split her face.

"Here. Try it _now_!"

"Wh-whoa!" Jonny waved his arms frantically, suddenly finding himself lifted up into the air. Kelly had lifted him up with one hand, using his belt as a handle. "H-hey!" He tried to wriggle free to no avail in her steel grip. "Let me down!"

"Pull down the ladder first and I will!"

Jonny all but jerked it down and was visibly glad to be on the ground again. Kelly grinned, pinched his cheek and started to climb up. Jonny stood in the alleyway with his hands on his hips, watching her go up. She stopped on the second level and looked down at him.

"Now that you've checked out my butt," she said. "Come on up!"

"That's not what I was-"

Kelly laughed and continued on. Jonny sighed, squared his shoulders and started up the rungs of the first ladder. Kelly reached the roof, turned and looked down through the grating at Jonny, who was perhaps halfway up.

"You can do it!" She called down encouragingly. "Just don't look down!"

And, of course, Jonny promptly looked down. He saw the ground far beneath him; looking even farther to his phobic senses. He suddenly swooned and lost his balance. He stumbled drunkenly.

"Jonny!" Kelly called out.

The concern in her voice cut through his psyche. He caught himself on the railing, took a deep breath and took a moment to calm his jack-hammering heart.

"Are you all right?" Kelly worried.

Jonny looked up at her and nodded wearily. He carefully continued his climb, being sure not to look down. He felt much better once he reached the top and had solid ground right beneath him again.

"Sorry," Kelly apologized as she helped him off the fire escape. "I didn't know your fear of heights was that bad."

Jonny shook his head, more than a little embarrassed.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have looked down."

The moment might have been awkward, but Kelly always seemed to have a way of bypassing all of that. She took him gently by the hand led him to the skylight beneath the big white 'Soto' sign.

Jonny looked down into the heart of the club. It was a writhing and joyous and carefree mass of sweating young bodies. They danced with abandon, their hands up and their hips swaying. Jonny could hear the thumpthumpthump of the techno bass come from huge speakers below. Laser and strobe lights blinked and undulated over the crowd, washing them in neon colors.

Jonny scratched his chin speculatively.

"You want to go down there?" He asked Kelly.

"Do you?"

Jonny made a face.

"Not really. Back in Dunningham – the place I grew up – our nearest neighbor lived five miles away. I think I'd feel _just_ a bit crowded down there."

"You have to dance at least." Kelly told him.

Jonny rubbed the back of his neck.

"You remember what happened the last time you tried to get me to dance." He said.

"Yes," Kelly replied mildly. "I remember."

Jonny peered at her, trying to interpret that, but Kelly's face gave away nothing. He relented with a shrug.

"I reckon it wouldn't hurt me to try again." He said at last.

The thumping techno beat they felt as much as heard in the club below came to a fading stop. The next song was a slinky R&B melody with a slow, measured beat.

"I can work with this." Jonny smiled and held out his hand. He spun Kelly into his chest. He intertwined his fingers with hers and put his other hand gently on her hip. Neither of them led but instead swayed together with the harmony.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind." Kelly said into his shirt.

"Disappointed?"

Kelly looked up at him and then nestled closer to him.

"Nope." She said simply.

They danced in the white light of the Soto sign. They circled each other slowly, waltzing across the rooftop. The sky above them was clear. Though the ambiance of the city lights drowned out the stars, the full moon shined bright. The light made Kelly's dark skin glow and Jonny found himself enchanted by the effect. She really did look like the goddess that was her namesake with the soft nimbus pulsating around her.

The song ended much too early for Jonny's taste. With an almost reluctant mischievousness he spun Kelly one last time and dipped her low before bringing back upright. Neither of them rushed to disentangle themselves from each other.

"I'm glad we did this." He said.

Kelly smiled.

"The night's not over yet, cowboy."

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonathon didn't have a plan when he snatched up Holly's laptop computer and ran from the Agency. In fact, he wasn't thinking at all. All he knew was that the bad guys wanted it so, naturally, they shouldn't have it. Any thought beyond that was lost to him. He ran like the football player he had never been with the laptop tucked under his arm. He crossed the dark street and made it to the far sidewalk before his natural clumsiness and lack of athleticism caught up with him. He tripped on his own feet, stumbled and rolled to the ground. He clenched his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable beating - or worse - when the thugs caught up to him.

That beating never came.

"Freeze!"

Sammy and Deshaun did just that, standing in the middle of the road and blinking into a pair of highlights. Behind those headlights - and in the crease of an open car door - was Commissioner Walker with a pistol trained on the two of them. A moment later a third headlight joined in and Robin took off his helmet as the R-Cycle idled.

Deshaun licked his lips and slowly reached beneath his clothes.

"I said freeze, punk!" Commissioner Walker yelled. "You move another inch and I'll blow your worthless ass away! Get your hands where I can see'em!"

Deshaun stopped his wandering hand, but he didn't move it away either. His wide eyes bulged even more than usually and a sheen of swat gleaned on his forehead.

"I'm not gonna say it again!" Walker barked. "Hands where I can see'em. Now!"

Rick had been lucky. He had been the last in line in chasing Jonathon. When Sammy and Deshaun got stuck in the middle of the street, he had been able to pull up short and disappeared unnoticed in the dark doorway of the detective agency. He watched the tense situation safely, the wheels in his head clicking. Rick knew just how crazy Deshaun really was. There was no way he would quietly. He rather be gunned down while making a grab for one of his beloved knives. While that wouldn't exactly hurt Rick's feelings, he nevertheless has a sense of duty. They went into this job as a team and, dammit, they were coming out as one.

"I got the one on the left." Robin said calmly, holding up a birdarang from his seat on the R-Cycle. Commissioner Walker nodded tersely but didn't reply or look away.

Rick saw the slight fidget in Deshaun's stand and the tautness of his muscles. He was going to make his move soon. If he didn't do something soon, his teammate was going to have a bloody hole in his head. Rick picked up an office chair, spun around twice for momentum and threw it through the front window of the agency.

SHATTER!

Robin and Commissioner Walker couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the loud crash. The split second reaction gave Deshaun and Sammy the time they needed. Deshaun's hand dove under his dirty shirt and flicked out a butterfly knife.

"Stupid kid!" Commissioner Walker fired nhis pistol.

Deshaun fell to the right, the bullet missing him by inches. He flung his knife in the same motion. It glittered and whirled through the air and hit Walker's pistol hard. Walker let out a pained curse and the gun clattered to the street.

At the same time, Sammy charged at Robin and clicked the manicured cuff at each of his wrists. Robin hopped off the R-Cycle and threw his birdarang in a looping, spinning arc. There was a mechanical clackclackclacking and Sammy's hands were covered in thick, layered metal gauntlets. He held up a fist and the birdarang deflected off the steel harmlessly. There was a charging whine and Sammy punched the road at his feet with the other fist. A shockwave pulse was released from the glove and rattled every window on the block. The concrete cracked in a zigzag and splintered up at Robin, sending him falling noisily into a trio of metal trashcans.

Deshaun ran forward and kicked the open door of Walker's car. The door slammed painfully into the Commissioner and knocked him to the ground. He quickly flipped to his belly and crawled and reached for his pistol laying a few feet away. Deshaun took three quick steps forward and kicked the gun into a sewer grating. Then he smiled a yellow smile and brought out another knife, twirling it around and around.

"I always wanted to kill a badge." He sneered in a lisp. He held his knife at the ready and nudged Walker over to his back.

"Keep dreaming, punk!" Walker slammed his loafer'd feet in Deshaun's chest. He swaggered up to his feet and pulled the nightstick from his belt. "This is gonna be fun." He growled. "Let's see if I can beat some sense into your smelly ass."

Deshaun crouched low and produced yet another knife for his off-hand.

"I'm gonna laugh at all the hypocrisy the strangers you hate are gonna say at your memorial." He lunged with both knives flashing and Walker held up his nightstick to block.

Robin had recovered from the shock wave blast. He kicked the tipped over trashcans clear of his feet and was poised in a fighting stance when Sammy approached again.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded as he strafed to the right.

"Serious business." Sammy replied coolly, circling to the left. "Why don't you go play with the metahuman kids this city seems to attract before you get hurt? You have no idea what you are messing with."

Sammy attacked. He turned and arced his heel at Robin's face. Robin spun away and retaliated with with an identical kick. In the same motion Sammy dodged and kicked back. Almost like a choreographed dance, they took turns spinning and kicking and then, mirror perfect, they stopped and faced off again.

"Good technique." Sammy said calmly.

"My thoughts exactly." Robin bit off.

Inside the agency, Rick had gone back upstairs to rejoin Maria in Holly's office. The pretty Latino girl watched the fight outside from the window, nervously biting her fingernails. She jumped noticeably when Rick touched her shoulder from behind. She gasped in air to release a scream, but Rick's hand was there to prevent it from escaping.

"Calm down, Ms. Juarez. It's just me." Rick removed his hand.

Maria sighed in relief, but the worry immediately returned to her face.

"What are we going to do? That's a Titan and the Police Commissioner out there! I don't know which one is worse. This place will be swarming with cops soon enough!"

"Calm down." Rick repeated, his voice much calmer than the adrenaline pumping in him. "Walker and Robin don't know we're here and Sammy and Deshaun should keep'em busy. And the cops in this town are notoriously slow. We have plenty of time to slip away. Look around first. Is there anything here that'll be useful to us?"

Maria blinked and looked around the dark office. She pursed her lips thoughtfully and tapped her chin. Then she went down on her hands and knees and stuck her head beneath the desk.

"What are you doing?" Rick wanted to know.

"Looking for the internet connection." She answered. She reached into her short jacket for a small transmitter. "If I connect this to the cable, we'll be able to see everything this detective researches online. In a lot of ways its better than having the laptop. We'll not only be able to find what they know now, but we'll know what they figure out later."

"Clever." Rick murmured. "How long will it take?"

"Done." Maria said and stood back up. "Can we please get out of here now? I'm not much of a fighter."

Rick nodded, took her hand and led her through the darkness.

Back down on the street near Walker's car, he and Deshaun were still battling. Unlike Robin and Sammy, neither of them were martial artists. It was the youthful quickness and nimbleness of Deshaun versus the grizzled brawling style of Walker that could only be acquired from a lifetime of never backing down from a fight.

Walker had backed Deshaun up against the car. He lunged forward and swung his nightstick in a long arc. Deshaun rolled away from the strike and Walker smashed his side mirror instead.

"Dammit! You're gonna-ack!" Walker drunkenly dodged a knife swipe. He reached down, grabbed the handle of the car door and flung it open hard.

WHAM!

Deshaun stumbled back on rubbery legs and fell bonelessly to the ground. His hands opened on their own accord and the knives fell as well. Walker jerked him up roughly by his stained shirt and held him against the side of the car.

"Tell me what in the blue hell you're doing here!" He demanded.

Deshaun blinked away the cobwebs and spit on the shiny badge on Walker's coat.

"I'm gonna go to your funeral." Deshaun said slimily. "And I'm gonna find whoever's crying the hardest over your carcass - your wife, your sissy son, whoever - and I'm gonna kill them, too. It'll be fun."

Walker lost his head. At that moment he stopped being a police commissioner and was but a man who had been threatened with the worst. He let out an enraged shout and aimed his nightstick at Deshaun's oily, unprotected face.

SHATTER!

The weapon crashed through the passenger-side window. Deshaun slithered across the ground and snatched up his fallen knives. Walker, still raging, turned without thought or coordination and charged again. Deshaun easily dodged the sloppy attack, ran up the hood of the car and launched himself off the platform of the windshield. He held his two daggers out in front of him like twin spears.

The smart move was to dodge, but Walker wasn't thinking logically at that moment. His anger wouldn't be satisfied with simply moving out of the way. He reared back his fist and stood his ground.

WHAM!

Walker punched between the knives and his fist caught Deshaun just over the right eyebrow. The force of the punch changed his trajectory and Deshaun helicoptor'd to the pavement. Walker smiled grimly, but the shot had come with a price. One of Deshaun's knives had left a shallow cut on his upper arm, leaving behind a bloodily sliced jacket and shirt.

Further up the street, Sammy and Robin were engaged in a much prettier fight. Their blows and blocks and counterblocks were smooth and executed with a practiced finesse. They seemed to be evenly match, but Sammy's metal gauntlets gave him the advantage. He attacked over and over with them, forcing Robin back.

Sammy jumped up high, laced his metal hands together and came down like a cannonball. Robin looked up, the slits of his eye-mask wide, and scrambled hurriedly out of the way with a desperate leap. Sammy landed in a crouch, his attack leaving a big debit in the solid concrete of the road. He looked up to see Robin crouched similarly on the roof of a truck parked on the curb. There was the sharp whine of Sammy's gauntlets charging. He rushed forward and punched into the side of the truck. The released shock wave blast distorted the metal frame of the vehicle and sent it bouncing and sliding into the edge of a three story series of latices set up against a building being renovated. The whole structure of wooden planks and criss-crossed metal support bars swayed dangerous but remained firm.

Robin had jumped clear before the moment of impact. He grabbed a hold of the lowest lattice and flipped himself up on it. He produced a trio of birdarangs from his belt and tossed them all down in one smooth motion. The tactic took Sammy by surprise. He blocked the first projective with his metal fist on instinct and reflexes alone and flipped and cartwheeled away from the other two.

Robin reached to his belt again, but Sammy was faster. The all too familiar whine of Sammy's gauntlets ended. He ran forward, flipped and swan-dived directly at the street. He held both fists out in front of him and, as soon as they touched the ground, he released the dual shock wave blast. Sammy was shot up upside down into the air. He whizzed by Robin and landed on a lattice two levels above him. The structure shifted, its foundation compromised by the twisted remains of the truck below, but it held.

Robin grit his teeth and climbed up after him. Sammy was intent to wait for the Boy Wonder, but then he noticed a rough gray cinder block by his feet. He picked it up, held it over his head and chucked it down at Robin. Robin threw himself to one side to avoid it, holding on precariously with one hand. The block zoomed heavily by him and smashed into a support beam near street level. His communicator came loose from his belt. It followed the block down and shattered against the sidewalk.

The structure shifted more violently this time. It nearly broke Robin's grip and even Sammy stumbled from his firm position. Sammy reoriented himself, grabbed the pole above him to keep his balance and leaned out over the edge to see how far Robin had come.

Robin was nowhere to be seen.

WHAM!

He dropped from the level above with a flipping kick. Sammy caught it full in the chest. The collection of lattices groaned and lurched. Sammy recovered, sucking in air to replace his now empty lungs.

Robin heard the charging whine for half a second before he realized what it meant.

"No! This thing is already-!"

Sammy ignored him and used his metal gauntlets to slam the shock wave into the the wooden floor beneath them. It splintered and broke away immediately and the two of them fell among debris and sawdust to the level below. The structure itself was on it's last legs, swaying precariously left and right and left with no signs of stopping. There was a steady popping and groaning as the wood and metal poles holding the thing together were strained and pushed to their limit.

On the street, Deshaun twirled his knives and stabbed down at Walker. The Commissioner caught them both with a horizontal nightstick, growled and shoved hard. Walker stomped forward and Deshaun backpedaled frantically to stay upright. The mad rush led them up to the front of the Hunter Detective Agency and, with one final heave, Deshaun was thrown through the front door and rolled to a stop inside. Walker followed him, switched on the light and deliberately slammed what was left of the door behind him.

"It's just you and me now, kid." He smacked the police baton against his palm. "I'm gonna do what your daddy should've done a long time ago."

Deshaun used Jonathon's desk to pull himself to his feet. He grabbed the first thing that came to hand - a phone - and chucked it at Walker. Walker batted it away with his nightstick like a baseball player and it exploded into plastic and buttons. Walker ducked the followup knife slash, but Deshaun caught him on the point of chin with a back elbow. Deshaun kicked the reeling Commissioner and the nightstick fell to the floor.

A smirk cut across Deshaun's dirty face.

"I killed my daddy." He gloated. Then he shouted and stabbed at Walker with both knives.

Walker snatched up the plastic jug of a water cooler and held it out in front of him like a shield. The twin knives stabbed into it and stuck in place. Water spurted over Deshaun as he wrestled with Walker, trying to dislodge his weapons. Walker wrenched the jug – and the knives – from Deshaun's grasp, spun and slammed it into his now wet side. Deshaun fell and hit the side of Jonathon's desk with a fleshy splat.

"You needed a shower, anyway." Walker huffed. Then he reached into his pants and brought out a pair of handcuffs. "And I know a good place where you can dry off."

Outside and down the street, the three story structure of lattices sway dangerously. Sammy and Robin had fallen a level. They coughed and stood up slowly, waving away sawdust.

Sammy recovered first. He snatched up a wheelbarrow and tossed it with all his might at Robin. Robin leaped and landed on the wheeled contraption as it zoomed under him. He balanced on the handles and surfed the front wheel across the lattice. He kicked off a support beam – sending the structure swaying even harder – and rolled like a barreling train back at Sammy. Sammy did a double take and, more out of instinct than anything else, he jumped up as well and landed opposite of Robin. They exchanged and blocked blows as they rolled across the precariously leaning skeleton of a building.

Neither of them could get the upper hand and, instead, the floor defeated them both by ending. The wheelbarrow fell through empty air and crashed into a dumpster below. Up above, Sammy had grabbed the edge of the lattice pulled himself up.

Robin hadn't been so lucky. He fell along with the wheelbarrow. He reached into his belt and shot a grappling hook at a support beam next to Sammy. The cord grew taut and he swung low to the ground, back under the structure.

Sammy smirked and pulled the grappling claw out from the beam. Robin suddenly found himself bouncing and rolling on the ground in the shadow of the lattices. Up above, Sammy climbed to the top level and stood on the adjoining roof. His metal gauntlets charged and he slammed them both into the top of the structure.

The lattices, hanging by a thread before, couldn't take the shock. The whole thing broke apart and collapsed in chunks. Robin looked up through widened eye slits and scrambled madly for open ground. Dust and debris fell all around him as he ran. He had to dig in his metal-tipped heels to avoid a pile of cinder blocks dropping and flipped to the side to avoid a slicing piece of floor. He stompedstompedstomped and stumbled from the wood and stone hail and, in a desperate dive, found clear air just as the whole thing crashed down at once.

Robin rolled to his knees and huffed and puffed and caught his breath, his cape covered in white dust and brown wood chips. He looked up at the roof of the building where Sammy had brought down the structure, but the dark-skinned martial artist was gone.

Inside the Hunter Detective Agency, Commissioner Walker had Deshaun on the ropes. He held a pair of handcuffs in his hand and advanced on the young villain. He grabbed him by the wrist and prepared to to clasp the cuff. But Deshaun grabbed a handful of dirt from a potted plant with his free hand and threw it in Walker's face.

"Augh!" Walker clawed at his face. "Sonuvabitch!"

"Commissioner!" Robin called from outside.

Deshaun saw him coming through the window. He clamped the cuff over Walker's wrist and waited for the Boy Wonder to come through the doorway. He reached out and grabbed Robin's wrist the moment he came in. Before he could bring the handcuffs to bear, Robin wrenched his arm free and arced a kick. Deshaun covered his head to protect himself and, mostly by accident, the second trap of the handcuffs clicked in place around his ankle. The momentum sent Robin and the blind Commissioner to the floor in a heap.

Deshaun grinned a yellow grin at the two heroes at his mercy. He looked around for his knives, but there were nowhere to be found in the mess of what had once been an office. He saw that Walker had nearly cleared his eyes and Robin was reaching for his utility belt. The criminal cursed and ran, pushing through the door and disappearing into the night, leaving Walker and Robin tangled in the floor.

Walker stood up, his now dirty face angry.

"You better run, you punk! I'm gonna hunt you down!" He yelled, stomped forward and shook his fist.

"Wh-whoa!" Robin was pulled along and was shook upside down.

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonny would have never guessed in a million tries the place in the city Kelly took him next. Near the edge of downtown and the Tech District was a fenced, blacktop basketball court with chained nets and glaring yellow street lights flickering above it. He smiled, walked across the court and hopped up to brush his fingers against the rim, checking its height.

"So," he was afire with curiosity. "How did you know I play basketball?"

"It was easy." Kelly said as she reached behind an old wooden bench and produced an orange basketball. "I could tell by the way you fight. It's all in how you move."

"Fancy that." Jonny hummed. "Can you tell anything else by how I move?"

"You're not a virgin." She shrugged as she dribbled the ball.

Jonny coughed and his face turned a bright red. He coughed and cleared his throat as Kelly laughed a throaty laugh.

"S-so," he tried to get over that. "Are you any good at it?" He coughed again. "A-at basketball, I mean." He added quickly.

Kelly chuckled.

"I play from time to time." She said modestly. Then, without changing expression, she shot a long, arcing shot that made the chain net jangle. Her form was perfect and fluid.

"Yeah," Jonny smiled sardonically as he gathered up the rebound. "Just every now and then, huh?"

"Uh-huh," Kelly smirked. "What about you?"

"I reckon I'm half-decent." Jonny lethargically dribbled between his legs a few times, turned and swished a shot only slightly shorter than Kelly's had been.

Jonny and Kelly took off their cattleman's coat and hooded jacket respectively and laid them on the bench. For the next ten minutes they dribbled slowly around the court, complimenting each other as they traded shots and silently sizing each other up. Kelly didn't miss any while Jonny missed one that just happened to rim out on him.

"Warmed up yet?" Kelly asked.

"I'd say so." Jonny rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt and rolled his shoulders. "Warmed up for what?"

"One-on-one, of course. What else?"

Jonny, in his habitual motion, rubbed the back of his neck.

"That hardly seems fair." He said.

"Why?" Kelly folded her arms across her chest. "Because I'm a girl?"

"Well..."

"Jonny," Kelly pointed out. "I'm stronger than you, I'm faster than you and I can jump higher than you. If anyone's at a disadvantage...it's _you_"

Jonny blinked. He had nearly forgotten about the nanomachines that augmented Kelly's muscles. His face took on a look of shame when he realized his prejudices and preconceptions had run away with him.

"All right then." He took off his hat and frisbee'd it to the bench. "Let's do it." He dribbled the ball to half court. "I'll shoot to see who gets it first." He stood behind the line and launched the basketball. It looked good all the way, but there was taunting clank as the ball bounced off the front of the rim and right back to him.

"Looks like I get to kick it off." Kelly winked at him and took the ball. "Check." She bounced it to Jonny. He knocked it right back to her and away they went.

The game started out quite badly for Jonny. He underestimated Kelly's speed and, before he knew it, she had gone around him and finished with a rim-rattling slam dunk. It was an awesome spectacle and Jonny was in awe even as he felt the competitive sting.

His first offensive possession went a little better. He faked a drive, stepped back and knocked down a long jumper just out of Kelly's reach.

Jonny was a face-up player; he liked to have full sight of his defender and the basket. He liked to free himself up for jump shots with quick, subtle movements and fakes. Or, if the defender allowed, to dribble around to the basket for a quick dunk or layup. His game was based around finesse and movement.

Kelly, on the other hand, was a post-up player. She used her strength to establish and gain as much ground as possible before making her move; either a hook shot or a fade-away or, in the optimal option, a dunk.

Jonny had trouble defending her style of play. The first time she posted up he played defense awkwardly as she back him up under the basket. The cowboy pivoted to one side and allowed her to go by. Kelly jumped to dunk the ball down, but came down with the ball under her arm when she realized Jonny was no longer guarding her.

"What was that?" She demanded.

"What was what?" Jonny said as innocently as possible.

"You let me go right by you!"

Jonny was good at a fair amount of things; lying to loved ones wasn't one of them.

"N-no I didn't!" He tried, but he wilted under Kelly's penetrating look. "It's just weird, okay? You know, trying to guard you with you backing into me like that."

It took Kelly a moment to realize just what he was getting at. Then she laughed credulously.

"Are you kidding?" She asked. "We've breathed each others air for almost a week now! We sleep in the same bed and you watch me change clothes. Is rubbing up against each other a bit _really_ a big deal at this point?"

"I look away when you change." Jonny defended himself weakly.

"Oh? Every time?"

Jonny coughed and didn't reply.

"C'mon," she said earnestly. "It's no fun if you're not trying your best. Let's enjoy it, okay?"

Jonny nodded and the game resumed. He was a little firmer on defense, but he still played tentatively. Kelly put a stop to that almost immediately when she leaned back sharply and knocked him to the ground. Then she turned and dunked right over top of him.

_That_ got his competitive juices going. Girl or not, he had just got embarrassed and he was going to make damned sure it wouldn't happen again.

The game was much more competitive after that. The two of them grinned and grimaced and sweat and strained against each other. They leaped to contest every shot and dove for every loose ball. There was trash talking and taunting and reluctant compliments. Mind games came into play. Jonny let out a sharp yell once just as Kelly was releasing a shot, causing her to miss. Another time, Jonny dribbled by Kelly and, as he went, Kelly blew into his ear. The ball slipped from his grasp and went bouncing out of bounds.

They crossed the line between love and hate time and time again as they strove against each other. In the end, panting and sweating and exhausted, they shuffled across the court and all but collapsed, leaning back against the rough wooden bench.

"What's the score?" Jonny huffed.

"I think it's tied." Kelly puffed.

"Really? I thought I was up one."

"No. Chance." Kelly said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Jonny asked her plaintively.

"Positive."

Jonny grinned a tired grin at her.

"So what's the tiebreaker?"

Kelly mulled it over.

"Whoever can stand up first." She decided.

Jonny put his hands under him to push himself up, but he hardly made it an inch before the trembling strength in his arms left him. He looked over at Kelly, her chest heaving and the yellow light reflecting off her slick skin. She made no attempt to move.

Jonny laughed.

"This might take a while..."

TTTTTTTTTT

Rick's apartment sat on a crumbling block deep in the heart of downtown Jump City on a street that had been a part of the old city. It was in a tired brown building with a dusty foundation and cracked mortar.

Holly saw right away that it was a mean, bleak place. The air inside wasn't appreciably warmer than the air outside and it felt thin and stuffy all at once. A homeless man lay snoring on a waiting bench with a miasma of booze around him and a woman in fishnets leaned against the wall near the staircase, trying to look seductive but only coming across as desperate.

The rickety wooden stairs groaned and squeaked under Holly's weight as she mounted them. She was sure the handrail had never been washed and went through great pains not to touch it. The walls were a scummy green and the ceiling, perhaps thankfully, was lost in the dark gloom.

Rick's apartment was on the second floor. Holly wasn't surprised; it was a smart move. If Rick ever had to leave in a hurry it would be best for him to be as close to ground level as possible. The door to the apartment was ancient with hanging chips of peeling paint. One of the numbers hung upside down while another was gone completely. Holly didn't bother trying the knob; she knew it was locked. The newest part of the door was a metal lining made to cover the inside crack and deny access to the bolt with a credit card or anything else flat enough to fit inside. Holly had a slightly more sophisticated method. She looked around to be sure she was alone and pulled a pair of needle-like lock picks from her coat.

At first, Holly was impressed that Rick had gone through the trouble of greasing the lock, but that quickly turned to annoyance as her lock picks slipped time and time again. After much jiggling – and quiet swearing – the bolt clicked and the door unlocked. She turned the knob carefully and opened the door just a crack. With the utmost care she stuck one of the lock picks through the crack and carefully slid up along it. The pick hit resistance and Holly squinted behind her glasses to see a nearly invisible wire, no thicker than a hair. She put the lock pick away and cut the string with a small, utility knife. That done, she swung the door open and let herself in.

Rick's apartment was a dump, though it was surprisingly clean and well-maintained. It was cruddy, but everything was neatly put in its place. The kitchen and living area was one big interconnected room and then another door led to the bedroom in the back. Holly's first move in these situations was to go straight to the refrigerator. If she was going through the trouble of breaking and entering, she might as well snack while she snooped around.

The contents – or lack of – in Rick's refrigerator disappointed Holly. There were a few beer bottles, a jug of apple juice and a pack of bologna. Holly made a face and closed it back. She'd have to investigate on an empty stomach.

The search of Rick's apartment was boring. He kept absolutely nothing special there, just what he needed to survive. There wasn't even any porn hidden under the bed. There was no telephone book or notes or records of any kind. The only thing Holly could find that didn't immediately support Rick's bare bones style was a political flier on the kitchen table that read 'Verilli For Mayor'. From what she knew of him, Rick didn't seem like one to care much for the democratic process, but Holly knew people were full of surprises.

In fact, Rick had one surprise for her she hadn't seen coming. Holly had been smart to cut the wire on the door, but Rick had been one step ahead of her. There was a second wire connected low on the door frame Holly had overlooked and snapped when she opened the door. The snapped wire let loose an electrical signal that traveled up through the wall to the apartment above where a small local gang of thugs and roughnecks lived. An alarm flashed and beeped, letting them know the apartment below had been compromised.

Holly was snooping around the bedroom when she heard the front door open and the light flip on. She peeked carefully out of the doorway to see four men and a woman come in, all of them thoroughly disreputable looking. They searched around the place. It was obvious they knew someone was there. Holly thought fast and hopped on the bed, folding her knees beneath her. She let her coat slide down her shoulders and strategically undid the top three buttons of her white shirt. She took off her glasses and, at the last second, she decided to hike up her skirt for good measure.

"Oh, Rick!" She called. "I'm in here!"

The five thugs came into the bedroom.

"Oh, my." Holly put a hand to her chest. "I didn't realize it was gonna be such a party! Which one of you is Rick?"

"He's out." One of the men said brusquely, though his eyes lingered on Holly's cleavage. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's just say I've been hired to help Rick loosen up a bit." She said coyly. "I'm _very_ good at my job."

The men chuckled and grinned lecherously at each other.

"It's about damn time." One of them said. "Rick could use some 'loosening up'."

The others laughed. The woman of the group, however, wasn't satisfied with the explanation.

"Rick has never hired out whores before." She said bluntly. "If he's expecting you, why isn't he here?"

"Because he _isn't_ expecting me." Holly stretched languidly and buffed her fingernails on her shirt. "And he didn't hire me. It's his birthday, you see, and a friend of his set this all up. Rick is in for a very sexy surprise."

"Who was it that hired you?" The woman demanded.

"Oh, let me think..." Holly pretended to lazily ponder. "He said his name was Jeff...at least I think that's what he said. He was slurring a little. His blood was a little cold, if you know what I mean."

"C'mon," one of the men said, obviously satisfied by Holly's answers – and other things. "Even a guy like Rick has to have some fun sometimes."

The suspicion in the woman's face faded away.

"Okay," she said begrudgingly to Holly. "You can wait here for him."

Another of the men was salaciously eying Holly's bare legs.

"Ya know," he said in a wheedling tone. "It might be a while before Rick gets back. Maybe we could arrange it where you could help us...how did you say it...loosen up, too?"

The woman turned and punched him hard in the arm.

"Owwww!" He whined

"Sorry, honey." Holly gave a winsome smile. "I'm already paid for Rick."

But the woman was already shoving her male companions out the door.

"I'll slide my card under your door when I'm done!" Holly called after them.

The woman slammed the door shut behind them.

TTTTTTTTTT

There was absolutely nothing stopping Robin from using the front door, but old habits died hard. He grappled up the side of Titans Tower and landed silently on the ledge just outside his bedroom window. He slid the window open and stepped lightly inside. He didn't bother with the lights. His body was dirty and bruised, but it, like the darkness, was something the teen had long ago become accustomed to. He walked across the bedroom to the adjoining bathroom.

It wasn't really a shower; he was much too tired for that. Instead, it was more of a rinsing. He removed his eyemask only briefly to wash his face and then quickly reapplied it. The hot water stung at first, but then it felt good on his tired and battered muscles. Robin hung his head and watched the splash of pink in the draining water as the blood from his scrapes and cuts were washed away.

Robin dried off and pulled on a new, clean costume. He brushed his teeth, his face looking haggard even with his mask in the mirror. He wondered morbidly if he would even recognize himself anymore without that iconic mask, but then he shook the idea away. The tired mind was a haven for melancholy thoughts. All he needed was a good night's sleep. Everything would look better in the morning sun. He slipped off his heavy boots and padded barefoot across the floor to the bed. He pulled back the top blanket and started in surprise.

Starfire lay there in his bed fast asleep. The silvery moonlight filtering in the window accentuated her sleeping form. She lay on her side in the fetal position. As strong as she was, it was somehow a vulnerable pose; it was almost as if she were trying to hug herself. Her Tamaranian brow was creased and tight and her face contorted in fear and worry as she slept fitfully. She muttered under her breath, but Robin couldn't catch any words.

Robin nearly reached out to wake her, but something stopped his gloved hand. His naturally curious mind as a detective wondered why she was there, but his compassion won out. He didn't have the heart to disturb her. He looked appraising at the empty spot in the soft bed next to her. He considered it, then decided it was out of the question. He sighed. The couch in the main room wasn't exactly his first choice for sleeping arrangements, but it was better than nothing. He could make do.

Robin turned to walk out of the room when Starfire's hand shot out and grasped his wrist. He looked sharply down at her, but the alien girl was still asleep. Contact with him seemed to effect her; her face relaxed, the tenseness in her brow faded and her muttering lips formed into a soft smile. Robin tried to pull his hand free, but it was no use; with her superhuman strength, he might as well have been trying to lift a mountain.

There was no choice now; he had to wake her up. He tried again, but the serene look on her face stopped him. He sighed, sat down in the floor and leaned back against the bed. It was awkward, but he could live with it. He closed his eyes and tried to get comfortable.

Up on the bed, Starfire snuggled Robin's hand to her cheek, took a deep breath and fell into a soothing, dreamless sleep.

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonny had never seen the ocean before and the sight of it enthralled him. The salty smell that had merely been an undercurrent in the city was now crisp and clean and the scent was invigorating. The rushing sea surged in his ears. He looked across the night to see the dark, frothing waves rising and falling and rising against the gleaming flesh of the beach.

He had been surprised to find the wooden cathedral in Jump City, standing on a grassy bluff overlooking the sand. Before he had arrived, he had thought of the city as big, shiny buildings, all new and glowing in the sun. Downtown had somewhat wiped away that preconception. Even so, it was still part of the urban quagmire. One could have taken the old church and transplanted just outside Dunningham, Arizona and Jonny wouldn't have glanced twice at it.

The steeple was far from new and, while still solid, showed it's age badly. White paint chipped from the wooden siding and everything was salt-encrusted. The stained glass windows were faded and the stone steps were cracked with brown shoots of grass peeking through.

Jonny and Kelly stood in the bell tower of the church, the rickety wood creaking beneath them whenever they shifted their weight. The old iron bell stood solemnly behind them and the rope which hung from it was thick and frayed. There were three, segmented and glassless windows at the head of the tower. Jonny stood in one, looking over the ocean. His fear of heights was calmed somewhat by the solid floor beneath him, though he still clung tight to the supporting board between the windows with his free hand. Kelly sat sideways in the far window itself, her knees bent and a notebook against her lap. She held a pencil lightly between her fingers and carefully drew.

"This is nice, Kelly. I've never seen the ocean before." Jonny marveled.

"I've always been near the water." Kelly replied as she continued to draw. "First in Metropolis and now here."

"I'm a little surprised you brought me here." Jonny said tentatively as if he wasn't quite sure how the comment would be received. "You never struck me as the spiritual type."

"I'm not, really. I'd like to think there's _something_ out there but-" Kelly paused in drawing just long enough to shrug. "I come here for the view, that's all. And to think." She looked at him. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you spiritual?"

"Oh," Jonny rubbed the back of his neck in his habitual nature. "My family is Christian."

Kelly raised a raven eyebrow at the wording of that.

"And are you?" She asked.

Jonny sighed and looked away from the ocean up to the no longer clear sky. Roiling gray clouds were moving in from the south.

"I reckon so." He answered at length. "Though honestly me and God ain't exactly on speaking terms right now."

"Ah," Kelly said it delicately and let the matter drop.

There was something about Kelly's nature that opened Jonny up. She never fished for details or pried into his personal thoughts. She had a way of accepting him without need for explanations and Jonny was grateful for her acceptance. And, because of her unquestioning friendship, it made him want to open up to her all on his own.

"He let someone die that didn't deserve it." He explained quietly. "I don't have the heart to forgive him yet."

Though she continued to draw, Jonny knew Kelly had heard every word he had said and was engaged in the conversation.

"Does God really control who lives and dies?" She asked.

Jonny blinked. He hadn't been prepared for that question. He leaned against the window frame, thinking.

"I don't know." He said at last. "But he sure as hell ought to."

Silence fell between them then and Jonny didn't like the feel of it. He felt responsible for the depressing mood.

"Kelly," the speaking of her name was apologetic in and of itself. Then he moved on. "I don't know what got you thinking it, but this ain't gonna be out last night together. You understand?"

Kelly was somehow wary and nonchalant all at once.

"I'm just being careful. Tomorrow's going to be dangerous and-"

"It's more than that." Jonny said. "I don't know what it is...but I think I know you well enough by now to know something ain't quite right." He stepped away from the window, walked to her and put his boot up on the windowsill. He gently reached out and laid down her notebook. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked her. The question was sincere and direct.

Kelly didn't look at him.

"Of course not." She fidgeted with her pencil.

Jonny frowned.

"Kelly, look at me." He waited for their eyes to meet. "I know there's something you're not telling me. I just don't want you to let me fly into this blind. If there was something I needed to know...you'd tell me, right?"

Kelly's brown eyes didn't blink and, once again, Jonny was reminded of the calm, soft-eyed look of a doe.

"Of course I would. I promise." She told him. "I guess I'm a little scared of what I have to do...but everything will go according to plan. I'm sure of it."

Jonny nodded and suddenly felt a little embarrassed over his tactless confrontation of her. He reached out, affectionately squeezed her shoulder and walked back to his window. For her part, Kelly didn't pick up her notepad again.

"You know," she said. "You promised to take me flying."

Jonny smiled as he remembered the night of their underground training session. He had used his wind song to float both of them over the booby traps Slade had built into the floor. He remembered the absolute joy and wonder on Kelly's face as she realized they had defeated gravity and nothing but air was between her and the ground. They had only been a few feet high, but she had taken a child-like joy and pleasure in it.

"I seem to recollect that." He said much more mildly than the memory made him feel.

"Uh-huh. And what are you going to do about it?"

Jonny's stomach clenched in fear as he truly considered taking flight with her, but he quickly repressed it with the thought of how happy it would make her. Happiness won out.

"There's no time like the present." He tried to sound relaxed, but the slight quaver in his voice betrayed him. Nevertheless he held out his hand to Kelly invitingly.

Kelly flashed a grin, stood up and took it in her own. Jonny hummed a tune and the nanomachines in his central nervous system rushed invisibly out of his body. They collected the air around them and wind began to whip up. Kelly suddenly let out a curse and Jonny called back the nanomachines. The wind died out.

"What's wrong?" He wanted to know.

Kelly pointed out at the horizon.

"Look!"

Jonny's gaze followed her outstretched finger. The dark horizon suddenly wasn't so dark. It had lightened into a spectrum of steely gray and, just over the water, a tiny line or orange that announced the sun would soon rise.

Jonny cursed himself.

"Slade will be beside himself if he wakes up and we're not there." Kelly said.

Jonny nodded glumly.

"I reckon we'll have to go flying another time.

"Yes," Kelly said sadly. "Another time." She kissed his cheek and then suddenly jumped out the window to land in a crouch below. "Hurry up!" She called to him.

Jonny, even in his haste, decides to use the stairs instead. Somewhere deep inside, he was oddly glad that his flying with Kelly had been postponed. And it didn't have anything to do with his fear of heights.

_Maybe it's for the best. It'd be a little awkward if we flew up and saw you up there, wouldn't it, Amber?_


	21. Oct 6: Calm Before The

"_Maybe we should call you 'Aqualass'." - Raven_

**Calm Before The...**

**October 6th**

**Morning**

Crystal, Jonny's adopted sister, had been pensive and out of sorts all morning. Playing with the baby had helped only marginally and breakfast with her family had been as frustrating as usual. Her father acted as if no one was missing, her brother Tim pretended nothing had changed and her mother silently endured it all. Crystal seemed to be the only one to accept the fact Jonny was gone and could admit that she missed him. She sighed and ate her meal in silence.

Normally after breakfast Crystal would check on Melody and then retreat to her room to her computer, but her mood made her restless. Instead she tucked her laptop under her arm and followed Tim outside. She trailed behind him as he crossed the front yard, the dirt path beyond and hopped the fence to the cotton field.

The harvest had come and gone and, while the field had been sod, it looked flat and barren. The sun above was pale and bright and the blue sky was so clear Crystal felt she could reach up and touch it. Spread out and spaced at regular intervals were tall scarecrows wearing ragged old football jerseys made faded and moldy by the weather. Tim took the top off a barrel near the fence line filled to the brim with footballs. Crystal climbed up to sit on the fence behind him and balanced her thin computer in her lap.

Tim picked up a football, gripped it in his big hand and launched it at the nearest uniformed scarecrow. The ball hit its chest and dropped down into a bucket beneath it.

"Ya know," he said as he picked up another ball. "I used to be able to do this alone. Just me and my teammates out there. No one else." He threw the football at another scarecrow with the same result.

Crystal frowned.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" She asked him tartly.

Tim glanced at her and blinked. It took him a moment to understand what she meant. It took him a moment to understand most things.

"I didn't mean you." He said. "I mean that guy." He pointed across the field.

At first Crystal saw nothing, but then she spotted the car half hidden behind an old oak tree nearly half a mile away. It didn't belong to anyone they knew.

"Who is it?" She asked curiously.

"College scout." Tim grunted sourly, throwing another football. His irritation caused him to throw slightly long and the ball smacked against the face of his target. "Now that it's my senior year they follow me everywhere."

"That's kind of creepy."

"Tell me about it. I caught one trailing me on my date with Nicole last week."

"No way!" Crystal said. "Why would they do that?"

"College football is serious business." Tim said. "A college puts a lot of money and time in players; especially quarterbacks. They want to know _everything_ before they decide."

"You'll be fine." Crystal said it confidently. "You're only the best football player _in the universe._"

"I'm the best player in the state." Tim corrected her, launching another pass. "College football will be a whole new level."

"You'll still win. You always do."

Tim let that pass without comment. He picked up another football and glanced at the computer screen. A female avatar sat on a dock jutting out into a green ocean.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Just farming."

"Farming?"

"Fishing, actually."

Tim's face creased as he thought about that.

"There's a creek just over there." He pointed. "Why not get a pole and do it for real?"

"'Cause the fish in there don't raise my stamina." Crystal answered simply. "No one likes a squishy tank, ya know."

Tim blinked uncomprehendingly at her.

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Crystal smiled. "It doesn't matter." She paused. She wanted to get _someone_ to talk about Jonny with her and she figured Tim was her best bet. In most cases she would have broached the subject in a round about way, but catching on to subtly was not one of Tim's strong suits. Instead, she came right out with it: "You miss Jonny, don't ya?"

Tim glanced at her only briefly before throwing another pass. She couldn't help but notice he missed his target by a hair, throwing it just left of its shoulder.

"Damn straight I do." He said brusquely. "I've been doing his chores since he's been gone. And that damn wild horse of his is gonna end up tearing the stable down if we don't find a way to calm him. I've fixed that gate four times already."

"That's not exactly how I meant it." Crystal said pointedly.

Tim gave her a sour look.

"It was his choice to leave. I'm not gonna waste time pining for him."

His voice ratted him out. Crystal saw for the first time, despite his words, just how much their brother's leaving had hurt Tim.

"He didn't have a choice, ya know." Crystal said. "He left because of dad, not us."

"Bullshit." Tim said bluntly, emphasizing the word with another pass. "One thing I learned about being a family: You leave one, you leave them all. You don't get to pick and choose." He looked as if he would leave it at that, but then he went on.

"Don't waste your tears on him, either." He said. "I can see your heart bleeding for him all the way over here. I feel bad for what happened to Amber. I really do. But Jonny brought all this on himself. Heaven forbid that boy keep his pecker in his pants."

"Tim!" Crystal admonished him.

"What? That's what all this comes down to, doesn't it?" The heat flared in his voice.

"Jonny loved Amber."

"So? What difference does that make? We all loved Amber. None of us saw fit to kill her because of it."

Crystal's mind was surprisingly calm at that moment. She slowly closed her computer and stared into Tim's soul.

"Are you saying Jonny killed Amber?" She asked him quietly.

"If he didn't, who did?"

Crystal wanted to strangle her brother at that moment, or maybe even slap some sense into him. But she did neither. She hopped down from the fence, tucked her computer under her arm and stalked away across the grass. She didn't trust herself to say anything.

She was hurt to the core. She felt betrayed. But, even worse than that, she couldn't think of an answer to Tim's question.

TTTTTTTTTT

Starfire awoke in a strange bed with a gloved hand in her own. Her big green eyes blinked in confusion, but then the memories of the previous night rushed back to her. She looked down with grateful relief at Robin, sitting in the floor and slumped against the bed.

"Robin!" She exulted. She sat up, jerked him out of his deep doze and enveloped him in a crushing hug. "You are unharmed!"

"St-Starfire!" Robin wriggled weakly against her. "Let go!"

"Oh! I apologize." Starfire released him somewhat regretfully.

Robin rubbed his shoulder and stretched back and forth, trying to loosen the tight muscles in his back. Then, the sleep burning from his conscious, the slits of his eyemask narrowed curiously.

"Why are you here, Starfire?" He asked.

The alien girl managed to look embarrassed as she sat cross-legged, fidgeted her hands in her lap and looked down.

"I was worried about you. I came to ensure your safety, but you were not here. I wanted to wait for you. I did not intend to fall asleep."

"But why? Last night was no different from any other night."

Starfire looked at him earnestly.

"I...had a dream, Robin. A horrible dream." She shuddered at the memory. "You were attacked. You fought back, but you were outnumbered. They hit you, Robin, and you did not get back up."

Robin's face softened. He sat on the bed and put his hand over hers.

"Nothing happened to me." He said soothingly. "I'm fine. See? It was just a dream."

"I fear it was not. I have never had a dream such as this. It felt so real...so true." She swallowed. "I am afraid, Robin. I am afraid it will really happen."

Robin was about to reply when there was a banging at the door.

"Yo! Robin!" Cyborg's muffled voice called from outside. "Get your spiky-headed butt up! I need to talk to you!"

Starfire stood, padded across the floor and answered the door. She yawned and ran a hand through her tousled red hair.

"Good morning, Cyborg." Her voice was subdued, but pleasant.

Cyborg smiled.

"Good morning, Sta-wahhhhhhh!?" He did a double take, paused, and did it again for a quadruple take. "Starfire! Why are you...I mean...did you..." He took a deep breath. "Do I have the right room?"

Robin smirked in amusement at his friend.

"Come in, Cyborg. You're not interrupting anything."

"Heh," Cyborg rubbed his head with one hand and closed the door behind him with the other. "I certainly hope not."

Cyborg looked at Robin.

Robin looked at Cyborg.

Starfire smiled wanly.

Cyborg looked at Robin.

Robin looked at Cyborg.

Starfire smiled-

"Um, was there something you wanted?" Robin asked.

Cyborg blinked and shook himself.

"Oh, right!" He rubbed his smooth head again. "I you kinda got me off my game. Anyway: I need the new password. The computers reset last night."

Robin frowned.

"Was it last night they were supposed to reset?"

"I don't know, man." Cyborg said. "I let you keep up with it. Maybe if your paranoid self didn't change the cycle every time you turned around..."

"All right, all right." Robin waved him off and went to the bedside drawer. He picked up a small notebook and began flipping through it. "What's the date again?"

"The sixth." Cyborg supplied.

"Right." Robin did come calculations and counted on his fingers. He concentrated and turned another page in his book. "The password is 'aardvark'." He said finally.

Cyborg laughed.

"Aardvark? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything." Robin said slyly. "If it did, someone just might figure it out."

Cyborg shook his head, thanked him and left the room muttering to himself. Robin had always been a bit more hardcore than the rest of them. There was a certain commendation to the pains the Boy Wonder took to keep his identity under wraps and the security of the tower secure. But when he started messing around with _his_ computer system, the little hero was going too far. He walked into the infirmary where he was greeted by Aqualgirl who had been spinning listlessly in a chair.

"Got it?" She asked him.

"Yeah," Cyborg sat down at the workstation. "Maybe I should have waited a while though. I think I woke up Starfire."

Aquagirl blinked.

"Didn't you go to Robin's room?"

"Uh-huh," Cyborg was already typing.

"Ohhhhhh!" Aquagirl said knowingly.

Cyborg glanced at her.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Robin is about as straight-laced as it gets."

"He's still a man."

"Sometimes I think he's more of a robot than I am. But we can gossip later. Let's check out your chest."

Aquagirl cocked an eyebrow at him.

Cyborg coughed.

"Your lungs, I mean." He gestured. "Stand in front of the x-ray screen for me."

Aquagirl smirked and did as she was told. Cyborg went to work at the computer station and looked carefully at the image that was produced.

"You're lungs look good from what I can see." He surmised. "How do they feel?"

"Okay, I guess." Aquagirl shrugged. "I haven't been coughing lately."

Cyborg clicked the keyboard and stood up.

"I'd say you have a clean bill of health, then. You should still probably take it easy for a while, though."

"Thanks, Cyborg." She yawned and stretched languidly. "I think I'll go for a dip. Wanna come?"

"No, thanks." Cyborg shook his head. "I have some projects I need to look in on. Say hi to Flipper for me."

Aquagirl stuck her tongue out at him and left the room.

Out in the hallway a green cheetah wearing a knapsack loped by her in a blur, shouldering past and sending her into a tizzy spin.

"H-hey!"

"Sorry!" Beast Boy had turned into his humanoid self, though he still continued to run. "I'm late!"

"Where to?" Aquagirl called even as she reoriented herself.

"Uh...doctor appointment!" He threw over his shoulder. "Later!" He turned back into a cheetah and turned a corner out of sight.

In complete and utter contrast, Raven walked down the hallway from behind Aquagirl as quietly and non-intrusively as possible.

"Is he always like that?" Aquagirl demanded in exasperation.

"Yes." Raven paused. "Who are we talking about?"

"Beast Boy."

"Oh. Then emphatically yes."

Aquagirl laughed.

"But you didn't even see what he did!"

"Trust me." Raven droned. "I don't have to. I know him." She continued on her way.

"Hey, Raven." Aquagirl stopped her. "I never got a chance to thank you, did I?"

"That's not necessary."

"But I want to anyway." Aquagirl's dark eyes shone with sincerity. "You saved my life, Raven. I'll never forget that. Thank you."

Aquagirl reached out and enveloped Raven in a soft hug.

"You're hugging me." Raven bristled.

"I think you're right." Aquagirl replied whimsically.

"Stop it."

"Why? Don't you like it?"

Raven opened her mouth to give the obvious answer, but the answer suddenly wasn't so obvious. She had felt strange for a while now. The close contact – both physically and emotionally – should have sent her meditative center careening out of control, but it wasn't. She was shocked to find that, somehow, she actually _did_ enjoy it.

Aquagirl giggled.

"Or do you like it too much?"

"Don't push it." Raven grated and separated herself from her.

In that moment, in Aquagirl's eyes, they stopped becoming strangers and had crossed over into friendship. Even with Cyborg's kindness and Beast Boy's goofy antics with her, it was the first time she felt that way since losing her memories. She suddenly felt very close to this quiet girl in blue.

"Want to take a walk with me, Raven?" She asked her.

"Where to?" Raven's voice was tinged with suspicion.

"The pool. You don't have to swim if you don't want to, but my skin is drying out. You know, the whole fish out of water thing and all that." She suddenly brought her palm to her forehead. "Oh, gawd! Now _I'm_ using fish puns!"

"Maybe we should call you 'Aqualass'." Raven smirked.

"Ew! Shut up!"

The girls laughed and then walked side by side to the pool.

The pool was, in fact, the basketball court. Aquagirl hit the wall mounted button Cyborg had showed her and one section of the court slid away to reveal a glimmering blue pool. Aquagirl wasted no time and dove in with such finesse that the water barely rippled around her. Raven, after a bit of internal debate, daintily removed her shoes, sat on the edge and allowed her feet to soak. Aquagirl backstroked in a lazy little circle in front of her.

"There's something I've been wondering about." She mused. "It was nighttime when you found me, right? What I mean is...how did you see me in the water? How did you know I needed help?"

Raven looked at her in cool surprise.

"You don't remember what you did?"

Aquagirl let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Great." She said. "Something _else_ I don't remember!"

"I was meditating when it happened." Raven said seriously. "You called out telepathically to me. That's how I knew you were in trouble."

"Like...talked with my mind? But I don't know how to do that!"

"Maybe not consciously." Raven said. "But the mind can do strange things when pushed to its limit. It was your dying brain's last resort...kind of like a mental scream."

Aquagirl's eyes narrowed in concentration and she jutted out her chin. Her nose scrunched up and her brow furrowed.

Raven looked at her in amusement.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Talk to you with my brainnnn!" Aquagirl said through her clenched jaw.

Raven laughed.

"It takes more than thinking really hard, Aquagirl." She considered her next thought. Raven was a solitary person not by nature, but out of necessity. But, for some reason, that necessity seemed to be gone now. "Why don't you meditate with me later? Maybe we can unlock your spiritual mind and see just what you can do."

"Thanks, Raven." Aquagirl smiled.

Raven found herself smiling back. Her emotions were in balance and she was happy. She couldn't explain it. All she knew was that it made her feel good.

TTTTTTTTTT

Jonathon had tied his moped to the bike rack and waited outside the Hunter Detective Agency for a quarter of an hour before Holly showed up. She parked her pink car illegally in front of a fire hydrant.

"Are you okay?" She asked Jonathon as she slammed the door behind her.

Jonathon did a double-take, but then he smiled shyly.

"That's very nice of you to ask." He said.

Holly blinked at him. Then she laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself, stud. I'm just making sure you're ready to work. That's a lot of shit to clean up in there."

"...oh." Jonathon deflated.

"My dad told me how you saved my laptop." She went on. "That was pretty brave. Stupid, but brave."

Jonathon's smile hesitantly returned.

"Okay, enough of that." Holly clapped her hands sharply. "Get to work already!"

The Agency was in shambles. The front glass window was shattered with but a few jagged pieces still in place. The front door lay in the floor, smashed off its hinges. The office beyond – the lobby Jonathon called his own – was a train wreck. Cabinets and shelves were knocked over and their contents spread across the floor. Jonathon found it hard to find clear spots to put his feet and navigate. Holly's office upstairs was no better, but there would be time for that later. Jonathon sighed began the tedious job of cleaning up.

For her part, Holly leaned in the empty doorway, her arms folded and her chin down. She lit a cigarette and blew smoke out into the cool morning air. Jonathon kept glancing at her as he sweat to return things to a semblance of order. His frustration finally urged him to speak, even it was as polite as possible.

"I could use some help, Miss Hunter."

"What?" She barely looked at him. "I can't. I'm busy."

Jonathon look at her, standing there with her cigarette.

"Um...busy with what?"

"I'm thinking, okay?" She said it irritably. "I went to Rick's apartment last night. I didn't find a damn thing."

"Maybe there was nothing to find." Jonathon suggested neutrally as he picked up a phone, saw that it was broken and dropped it again.

"There's always _something_ to find!" Holly insisted. "No one's that good! I'm just overlooking something, that's all."

"When I can't remember something I try to retrace my steps and talk it out." Jonathon suggested. "It seems to work."

Holly mulled it over.

"I guess it can't hurt. Okay." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts. "So I drove to the place. The apartment building is a total dump. I checked the door for booby traps. I missed one, though. Rick is better than I thought he was."

"Anyway, I started looking around the apartment." She continued. "I checked out the fridge for something to snack on, but there wasn't shit in there. The kitchen and the living room were clean. And when I say clean, I mean it was immaculate. It looked a hell of a lot nicer than the rest of the building. I was in the bedroom when his goons showed up."

Holly smirked at Jonathon's gasp at that.

"It wasn't a big deal. I whooped all their candy asses and continued the search."

"Wow!"

"But I didn't find anything! He's as innocent as a Catholic school girl with a knee long dress! No drugs, no porn, no weapons, no secret address books or messages. His last call was to a pizza place down the street. The bastard even votes, if you can believe that. I found a flier for some mayoral candidate."

Jonathon stopped in the act of bending over and picking up the empty water cooler jug.

"...he votes? Rick Flag?"

"So what?" Holly demanded.

"He's a felon." Jonathon pointed out. "He can't vote. It's against the law."

Holly stared at him. Her eyes narrowed in intense thought behind her gold glasses.

"If he can't vote, then why-" Her face suddenly brightened in understanding. She threw down her cigarette and trotted to her car. "Stay here! I gotta run something down!"

"Miss Hunter-"

"I'll be back soon!" Holly called even as she opened the car door. "I need you to find out everything you can about Marcus Verilli!"

Jonathon gestured all around him.

"But what about-"

_"Multi-task!"_

Holly spun her tires and zipped away, leaving Jonathon alone.

TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy was late for school. He swooped down in the form of a green hawk, his knapsack clutched in his talons. He landed on the roof of Murakami High and reverted into his human form.

"Whoa! Holy crap!"

Beast Boy jerked around to find a young girl on the roof with him, hidden from him during his descent as she sat leaning against an air conditioning unit. She was dressed in the Murakami school uniform. Her hair was red and curly and a smattering of freckles decorated her cheeks and nose. Her skin was pale and clear and her eyes, wide with shock and awe, were a bright cerulean. Beast Boy stared back her, standing anxious and awkward, unsure of what to do.

The girl stood up, pointing with a hand shaking with excitement.

"You just...did you see what you just did?" She rolled her eyes at herself. "Of course you did! You're you! Well, you can't actually _see_ yourself but...whatever. You're him, right? You're Beast Boy!"

"Uh..." Beast Boy was slack jawed.

"You are! You're Beast Boy! Wow!" The girl flashed around him, looking at him from every angle. "This is so cool! A real live superhero right here in front of me!" She frowned, cutely perplexed. "What's with the white skin all of a sudden? I always thought green was your color! Green is my color, too, really. It sets off my hair, ya know? I look kinda like a rose or something!" She blinked. "Where was I?"

"Um..."

"Oh, right! I'm curious now! What are you doing here?"

"Well-"

"Oh!" The girl bounced energetically. "I bet I know! You're here undercover, aren't you? You're here to bust some bad guy who's trying to brainwash us with fractions, right? I swear, I always knew Mrs. Childree was up to something! You have to be some kind of villain to give out as much homework as she does!"

"That's not-"

"The gym teacher must be in on it, too! Last week I gave him a totally legit doctor's note and he made me run anyway! I mean, yeah, I forged the signature, but he didn't know that! So uncool! Not to mention the timing was terrible! I had just broken up with my boyfriend and-"

"Hey!" Beast Boy waved his arms. "Don't you ever _breathe?"_

The girl cocked her head at him.

Beast Boy puffed. He felt tired just from listening.

"I'm not here on Titans business. They don't even know I'm here, actually." He looked at her imploringly. "You're...not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

For the first time yet, the girl thought before she answered.

"It depends." She seemed to have calmed somewhat. "Why are you here?'

Beast Boy scratched at his blonde hair.

"I believe education is important and a fundamental part of any successful person." He said stuffily with a stiff back. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye to see if she was buying it.

"Of course it is." She lazily wasn't. "What's the _real_ reason?"

Beast Boy deflated and sighed.

"There's this girl." He came out with it. "It's a long story but...I really like her. Only she doesn't like Beast Boy. Well, ya know, the green one. So I thought...maybe I'd have a better chance like this." He gestured at himself. "As plain old Garfield."

The schoolgirl's eyes had softened.

"What's her name?" She asked.

"Ter-" He stopped himself. "Julia. Her name is Julia Markov."

"Oh, hey! I know her! I showed her around the school her first day here! Nice girl, but a little quiet, ya know? She complimented me on my name. That was sweet of her."

Beast Boy couldn't help but smile at that. He guessed that _everyone_ was quiet compared to this girl.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Aeryn." She said it almost shyly. "Do you like it?"

"If Julia liked it, so do I." Beast Boy smiled at her. "So...will you keep my secret? Pleaseeeeee?"

Aeryn thought about it, tapping her chin.

"Only if you let me help!" She decided. "I'm a really good matchmaker! Promise!"

"Um...s-sure."

"Great! This will be a piece of cake. I got this one couple together once with just a phone call, a hall pass and a love letter! I'm like the MacGuyver of love! Wait...aren't I a little young to be making MacGuyver references? Anyway, then there was another time-"

She continued on, but Beast Boy tuned her out. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

TTTTTTTTTT

Commissioner Walker stood in the holding cell wing of the JCPD station and the metahuman block in particular. The doorway was now jagged and irregular, slashed open by last night's assailant. Walker stood in the doorway with his arms folded and a permanent scowl on his face. His face was a welter of emotions, all of them sour.

"Dad!" Holly came stomping up behind him. "Where the hell have you been?"

The Commissioner didn't bother to look at her.

"I've been here all morning."

"What in the blue hell for?" Holly demanded. "You got a office, ya know!"

"No real work ever gets done in an office. Just ask Bill Clinton."

"Wow," Holly tossed her head sarcastically. "Great use of pop culture there."

"I'm a little busy here, Holly." Walker said gruffly. "What do you want?"

"I found out who Gemini's mysterious partner is." She said proudly. "Marcus Verilli!"

Walker glanced at her.

"Uh-huh. And how did you find this out?"

"I found a political flier in Rick's apartment."

"And...?" Walker prodded.

"That's kinda it."

"You'll forgive me if I don't fall over myself running to get a warrant."

"I know it's not enough." Holly said acidly. "But we know what we're up against now. When you know where the rainbow ends you know where to start looking for the bowl of cereal...or the pot of gold, whatever."

"I'll look into it later." Walker told her dismissively. "After I handle this."

Holly looked around at the scene for the first time. The man she recognized at as Jeff was strapped upright with metahuman bindings around his wrists and ankles. His hair was greasy and wild, his face oily and his eyes scarily bloodshot. He was perfectly calm, staring out at nothing in an absolute deadpan. Four men in white uniforms surrounded him, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible while a handful of policemen and women stood nearby to assist them if needed.

Holly looked up and noticed the state of the door, or what was left of it.

"What happened here?" She asked.

"I talked to the man on duty last night." Walker said. "Some assassin broke in; a swordsman with sunglasses, if he saw it right."

"Sunglasses?" Holly looked around. "It's gotta be darker than a politician's soul in here at night."

Walker ignored that.

"He came in and attacked Jeff there. I don't know if he was trying to kill him or if he meant to do what he did."

Holly looked at the near comatose man.

"What did he do?"

Walker growled deep in this throat, a sound of anger and regret.

"He gave him a big ass dose of Blood Ice." He bit off. "It would have killed a normal person, but Jeff there has spent most of his life getting his body accustomed to the crap. He might be alive, but he's totally lost his mind."

Holly looked at Jeff closer.

"He _looks_ okay."

"Just wait."

She watched quietly beside her gruff father. The men in white approached Jeff cautiously. The moment they released his bindings, Jeff's demeanor changed entirely. His eyes bulged and gleamed with inhumanity. He began to scream, a shockingly inhuman sound. He thrashed and fought like a man possessed against the men trying to restrain him. He spit and growled and bucked against them like a crazed animal.

Holly caught a movement in the corner of her eye and looked to see her father had turned away. The Commissioner had never been known for his delicacy.

"Are you okay, old man?" Holly asked him.

Walker fidgeted with a manly contriteness.

"This is my fault." He muttered deeply. "I told that bastard I'd protect him...and I didn't. He was so afraid he was pissing in his pants and I didn't take it seriously. He lost his life because of it."

"He's still alive, dad."

"If you call that alive."

"The Huntress!" Jeff suddenly yelled. He stopped fighting and allowed the medical staff to strap him to a gurney. His eyes bore into Holly's. "The Hidden Father's life is in your hands! He will triumph and make the world suffer...or you will kill him."

"What the-"

"And you!" Jeff ignored her and started into Commissioner Walker. "Beware! The Wolf stalks you! He shall attack at the ringing of the bell!"

The medical staff rolled him past and out of the room. Walker and Holly blinked at each other.

"What the hell was that?" Holly demanded.

"...I haven't the first damn clue..." Walker breathed.

TTTTTTTTTT

_It was a cold December night on the valley of northern Arizona where the Bluestone Ranch lay. The sky was clear and the stars and moon were bright. The tall, dry grass whispered and swayed in the chill breeze. Jonny, on the back of a horse called Music, wrapped himself tighter in his cattleman's coat as he led his friend at a steady trot. Their breath showed in air, trailing behind them like the twin smokestacks of a train._

_Their destination loomed before them: an old, two-story hay barn with chipping pain and a big sliding door. There was a single window above the door. It glowed bright and cheery and shone like a beacon leading them on. The ordinary, commonplace building was a very special place. It held many dear memories for Jonny and, unbeknownst to him, he was about to create another._

_He dismounted Music and negligently wrapped his tether around a hitching post. It wasn't nearly tight enough to keep the horse in place, but it was nothing but a formality; Music would never abandon him. Jonny ran his hand fondly across the animal's neck, shivered and slid open the barn door just enough to slip inside before quickly closing it back._

_It was pleasantly warm inside the barn and the sweet smell of chaff filled Jonny's nostrils. There was a rough, roaring fire on the ground in a carefully cleared spot. Jonny took off his coat and quickly moved over to hold out his numb hands._

"_Did you have trouble sneaking out?" Amber asked him. She sat on the far side of the fire, looking somehow both tough and feminine in her jeans and flannel shirt._

"_Not really." Jonny blew into his hands. "Crystal got accepted into the that big time online medical school. I would have felt plain awful if I had skipped out without celebrating with her."_

"_That's great news." Amber smiled. "Tell her I said 'congratulations'."_

"_I will. I'm really happy for her. I swear, that girl is gonna change the world someday."_

"_Yes. I think we will, too." Amber patted the round bale of hay she sat on. "Come here and let me warm you up."_

_Jonny flashed a grin and did as he was told. He sat down, kissed her soundly and they settled in with their arms wrapped around each other._

"_This is nice." Jonny said as they looked into the fire._

"_Mm-hmm," Amber hummed and leaned into him. "You know, Crystal isn't the only one with big news."_

"_Is that right?"_

_"Yeah. I'm just not sure if you'll like it."_

_Jonny rubbed her shoulder._

"_Why wouldn't I?"_

_Amber disentangled herself from him, turned sideways and straddled the bale to face him. _

"_You love me, don't you?"_

_Jonny was immediately concerned. He turned to face her and reached out to hold her hands._

"_Of course I do." He peered at her. "Are you okay? You're not in trouble, are you?"_

"_No, nothing like that. Just..." She shook her head and then her face suddenly hardened with resolve. "This is stupid. I should be nervous to tell you this. I know you."_

"_Then just tell me."_

"_All right." Amber took in a deep breath. "Jonny...you're going to be a daddy."_

_Jonny stared at her blankly. He blinked slowly. He blinked again. He blinked a third time. He opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. He held it open for a moment and then closed it again. He blinked yet again. He gestured, rolling his wrist and flapping his hand._

"_S-say that again...?" His voice was choked and tight._

_Amber reached out and grabbed the hand he had apparently forgotten he was still moving._

"_You're going to be a daddy, Jonny."_

_Jonny stood up, taking his hand from hers. He began to pace around the barn, his hands on his hips and his head tilted in intense thought._

"_That can't be right." He finally said. "I mean, we-"_

"_I know." Amber watched him with deep eyes. "I don't know how it happened, but it did. There's no doubt."_

_Jonny paced again. He licked his lips and rubbed the back of his neck and patted his thighs and fidgeted, fidgeted, fidgeted. He finally turned back to Amber and a nervous, shy smile tugged at his lips._

"_I'm...gonna be a daddy." He slurred with anxious hopefulness._

_Amber let out a squeal of pure joy, took two quick steps and leaped into his arms._

"Hey!" Kelly kicked Jonny hard in the shin, violently waking him up.

Jonny opened his eyes and squinted them closed again in the same instant. His eyes were red and sandy and weariness bogged down his limbs. He slumped in the sloped, plastic seat of the subway train as it rushed through the flickering darkness With effort he straightened in the chair, yawned and rubbed his face.

"Sorry." He murmured sleepily. "I didn't get much sleep last night...or this morning."

"Neither did I." Kelly said pointedly.

Jonny didn't comment on that. She had a point. As he shrugged off the last vestiges of sleep, he took a closer look at her. She wasn't technically Kelly anymore. She was Artemis. She wore her red, pointed eye mask and a fashionably uneven leather-plated skirt. Her breastplate was orange and black with her steel arrow clamped down the middle. Her big silver bow lay in the floor at her feet, a length of string was tied around each other her upper arms and her hair was pulled back in a tight braid. Jonny tried to look past the mask into her eyes, but he couldn't read them.

"Kelly-"

"Artemis." She corrected him quickly.

"Right." He paused tentatively. "Are you okay? Last night it seemed like you-"

"Last night was last night." Artemis said without emotion. "Today is today. That's all I'm worried about. Do you have your costumes?"

"Right here." Jonny reached beneath his seat and brought out a duffel bag.

Artemis nodded professionally.

"Good. We'll be underneath the Gemini Building soon. Are you ready?"

Jonny breathed in deep and nodded.

"As I'm ever gonna be." He drawled nervously.


	22. Oct 6: Shinra AssaultI Mean Gemini

"_It's been a long time since anyone has posed a challenge to use." - Afreet_

**Shinra Assault...I Mean Gemini**

**October 6th**

**Morning**

It had been a perfectly normal morning for security director of the Gemini Building. He had slept well and he came into work in a good mood with a steaming cup of coffee. He had casually flirted with the pretty secretary on the ground level lobby as he checked in. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed he actually caught her eye for once. It was enough to keep a smile on his face as he went upstairs to his office on the second floor. He contentedly sipped at his coffee as, in fast forward, he looked over the surveillance camera footage from the night before. All was normal. He had finished his review and stood up to get a second cup of coffee when all normalcy was suddenly smashed to pieces – quite literally.

He may have felt it rumble beneath his feet just as much as he saw it on the live surveillance monitor. During each night's lock down, the front entrance was barricade with a sliding sheet of diasteel. During work hours, however, and angled windows came down to provide a bright, airy and welcoming lobby. Through those windows came a speeding, airborne car. It crashed through them, bounced on the floor and rolledrolledrolled until it crunched into the interior wall. At first he assumed there had been some kind of awful car wreck, but that didn't make sense. There was no one in the car. He saw a figure step through the entrance and stand on the shards of broken glass. He realized coldly that the car hadn't been driven into the building.

It had been thrown.

"Code Red! Code Red!" He yelled into the walkie-talkie he had snatched from his belt. "First floor breach! Metahuman threat! Squads Five, Six and Eight respond! I repeat-!" He ran down the stairs, taking them three at a time and barking more orders. The ground level lobby of the Gemini Building was in complete and total chaos when he arrived. Employees screamed and fled while Gemini Guardsmen in light blue armor shouted contradictory orders and tried to hold their ground.

They were failing miserably. Artemis was tearing the lobby apart piece by piece. A priceless, crystal chandelier hung grandiosely from the ceiling. Artemis notched her single, roped arrow into her bow and shot the supporting cord. The piece of art fell and smashed into a million pieces on the glossy tiled floor, adding to the chaos. As Artemis hit the button on her bow to retract the arrow, a trio of Gemini Guardsmen lined up into a rough formation, shouldered their laser rifles and opened fire on her. Artemis strafed to the right as laser blasts sizzled around her and ricocheted around her feet. She swiveled her silver bow to her back, picked up a heavy desk that would have taken at least four men to move and chucked it across the room at the group. Her attackers scrambled for cover and fell over themselves dodging out of the way. The shock wave of the falling desk sent them falling every each way.

The other squad members poured from the staircase and Artemis took advantage of them coming at her from such a small opening. She snatched up several rich, framed paintings that hung along the walls and, like frisbees, tossed them at the incoming Gemini Guardsmen. One guardsman took a painting to the helmet. His head jerked back and he fell trembling. Another whirled into a guardsman's gut, lifted him up along its arc and sent him ragdolling into three more.

The security director stood on the staircase a safe distance behind them, trying to direct traffic.

"Shoot her, damnit! Charge! Open fire and get in there! Spread out!"

The laser fire grew more concentrated. Artemis back stepped, spinning her bow in a blurring circle that absorbed the shots. The Gemini Guardsmen were able to enter the floor and get away from the narrow embrasure of the staircase. Even so, Artemis was more than a match for them. She charged into the midst of one group and swiped widely with her bow, knocking them back like bowling pins. She turned and shot an arrow into the barrel of a guardsman's laser rifle just as he pulled the trigger. With a startled shout the energy blast backfired and the gun exploded in his hands. She grabbed the shocked guardsman by the collar of his armor, ripped it away in two halves and kicked him in his thinly clothed chest.

The security director hid behind the main, L-shaped desk, peeking out to survey the battle. His cover was suddenly taken away as Artemis literally _took it away_. She lifted it up impossibly over her head and used it to block more laser shots. She walked it across the floor and shoved it in staircase entrance, blocking it off.

"We need more." The director muttered as he watched in disbelief as a single girl defeated his men one at a time. "Get the Geminibots ready to load onto the cargo elevator! As many as you can muster." He turned to the helmeted guardsman at his side. The director had vaguely been aware that the man had been flanking him for some time, but he had no time to over think it. "You!" He ordered and reached into his pocket. "Go open the cargo elevator! I'll cover you!"

The guardsman took the key from him and then pointed behind him.

"Look out!" He warned. When the security director turned the guardsman measured him carefully and slammed his fist into his chin. The director slumped to the floor unconscious. The traitor turned and blasted two other Gemini Guardsmen with his laser rifle. "Artemis!" He shouted across the room at her and held up the key. "I got it!"

Artemis wiped up the few remaining Gemini Guardsmen, pulled two duffel bags from the trunk of the car she had thrown and joined with the traitor. The two of them walked across the floor strewn with downed and groaning bodies to the large, double-door elevator at the back of the lobby. The traitor guardsmen swiped the key and the two of them stepped into the elevator. Artemis jabbed the tip of her bow into the surveillance camera in the corner.

The traitor took off his helmet when the doors closed and wiped his sweat brow.

"So far so good." Jonny grinned tightly in a strange mixture of exultant adrenaline and anxiety.

"We've only just begun." Kelly replied coldly without emotion. She thrust one of the bags into his hands. "Get changed."

TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy – or rather, Garfield, as that was his current form – hadn't noticed before that Aeryn shared his biology class. That was no surprise. He hadn't noticed much of anything apart from Terra herself. The class project to create the perfect organism continued. Garfield was partnered with Terra (Or Julia, as she called herself now) and they sat side by side with their desks pushed together. Aeryn sat with her partner not far away. He chatted away, but she ignored him to watch Garfield. She gestured every now and then, but Garfield tried his best to ignore her.

"What should it eat?" Julia was musing. "Would it be a carnivore or a herbivore?"

"Why not an omnivore?" Garfield suggested. "It's kinda hard to run out of food when you eat everything, right?"

Julia tapped her chin with her forefinger in an unfamiliar gesture.

"You know...if it's a _perfect_ being...maybe it shouldn't eat anything at all. I mean if it was really perfect it wouldn't have to hurt anything else to survive, right? Maybe it could use photosynthesis like a plant..."

But she had already lost Garfield. He understood her idea, he just couldn't accept its source. It was a surprisingly deep thought; a thought, Garfield accepted reluctantly, that the Terra he knew would have never considered. She was changing more and more the longer they were apart. If he didn't do something soon...

The communicator in his pocket rang out. Garfield groaned, but Julia's reaction was exasperated.

"You have to go again, don't you?"

Garfield nodded glumly.

"Sorry, it's important."

"What am I supposed to do?" Julia demanded.

"Uh...here!" He stood up and pushed her desk with her in it. "Work with Aeryn! I'll be back as soon as I can!"

He quickly left the room, leaving a bewildered and frustrated Julia behind in Aeryn's hands.

TTTTTTTTTT

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos...Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos."

Raven didn't chant alone. On the roof of Titans Tower she sat across from Aquagirl who mirrored her cross-legged pose and words. The morning sun burned brightly through the cool air.

"Clear your mind." Raven instructed her. "Breathe in...and breathe out all your worries. Find your center. The core of what you really are."

Aquagirl's face creased in concentration. She chanted for several minutes before popping her dark eyes open and stretching out her legs.

"It's not working!" She complained.

"Meditation takes time." Raven replied calmly. "Soothing your emotions and finding inner peace isn't easy. It's even harder for you, Aquagirl. Without your memories, it's hard to understand why your are who you are. It's difficult to deal with feelings when you don't know why you feel them."

"Yeah..." Aquagirl was crestfallen.

"But," Raven went on. "I believe you can do it."

Aquagirl smiled gratefully at her.

"So," she said. "What does 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos' mean, anyway?"

Raven was taken by surprise. Not by the question as much as the fact it was the first time anyone had ever asked her.

"They're words of an ancient language." She said. "Azarath is my home. It signifies my past; the foundation of myself. Metrion is the word for 'balance'. It's what I wish to be in the present. And Zinthos means 'freedom'. It's what I want to be in the future."

Aquagirl's eyebrow rose questioningly.

"You're not free now?"

The conversations with Aquagirl continued to be insightful for Raven. She had spoken what most people considered to be magic words for so long that she had nearly forgotten their significance. Her father's dark influence was gone now. Perhaps she _was_ free. Still, that was something she could think about later. For now, she wanted to help Aquagirl.

"It's complicated." She brushed the question aside and went on. "Maybe it would be easier if you had your own words; something you could identify with more."

"Like what?"

"Let's go through it one step at a time." Raven said. "Where do you come from? What is your past?"

Aquagirl's face fell.

"I don't know." She murmured.

"I found you in the water." Raven pointed out. "For now, that's your beginning, right?"

"I guess so."

"What do you want for yourself now? In this moment?"

"I want to remember." Aquagirl said simply.

"And what do you want in the future?" Raven asked.

Aquagirl shrugged. "Happiness." She said.

That brought Raven up short.

"Happiness?"

"Uh-huh. Isn't that what everyone wants?"

Happiness had never been a part of Raven's makeup. She had always strove for balance to delay her father's coming as long as possible. Now that he was defeated, maybe it _was_ a possibility.

"So," Raven put aside her own thoughts to focus on Aquagirl. "Your chant should be...'Water Memories Happiness'."

"Water Memories Happiness..." Aquagirl repeated to herself.

"Why don't you try it out?"

Aquagirl folded her legs beneath her again, closed her eyes and concentrated again.

"Water...Memories...Happiness...Water...Memories...Happiness-" Aquagirl shook her head. "It sounds silly!"

Raven considered it.

"Would you feel better if I translated it to Azarathian?"

"What is it?"

"Aquwuz Nostals Blimiso." Raven said. "Think about and picture each word as you say it."

Aquagirl tried again.

"Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso...Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..."

It went much better that time. Aquagirl's spirit was still tumultuous, but her mind was much clearer than it had been before. If she continued to practice, Raven had no doubt that she would eventually learn the true art of meditation.

The practice was interrupted not long later as the alarm of Raven's communicator went off. She reached into her cloak and clicked it open.

"What is it?" Aquagirl asked.

"Trouble." Raven said grimly. "I have to go."

"Oh," Aquagirl tried to hide her disappointment. "I guess I'll...uh...stay here and practice."

Raven turned to levitate away, but something made her stop and look back.

"Practice can wait." She said and held out a hand. "Want to go?"

Aquagirl grabbed her outstretched hand and answered was a bright grin.

TTTTTTTTTT

The Senior Security Director for the Gemini Building was sweating bullets. He might have been relatively safe in his thirty ninth floor office, but his job certainly wasn't. The building was under siege and it fell on his shoulders to stop it.

"They're in the elevator now." His tech adviser informed him.

"Do we have visual confirmation?"

"No sir, but the weight sensors are still intact. The weight is consistent for two people. Do you want me to freeze the elevator?"

"Do it." The Director paused to think strategy. "That won't work for long. You saw what the girl did. If we try to trap them in there for too long she'll just bust out and start the rampage all over again." He looked over a blueprint of the building spread haphazardly over his desk. "Activate all the Geminibots you can and send our party crashers to the fifteenth floor. That's their storage area, right? If these guys want a war, let's give it to them."

"Yes, sir."

The fifteenth floor was one giant room. There were no interior walls and no decorations. Hundreds upon hundreds of the blue armored Geminibots whirred to life. They lifted their bowed heads and their eyes glowed inside the darkness of their helmets. They brought up their laser rifles and, in a single, coordinated motion, turned to the elevator doors and aimed. The fifth light above the doors burned brightly. Then it went out and the sixth light flared. Then the seventh. Then the eighth. The Geminibots waited with inhuman patience as the elevator lifted floor by floor. The fifteenth light flickered on and there was the clackclackclacking of hundreds of rifles cocking. The cargo doors opened...

...and the elevator was empty.

A handful of grenades came skittering across the floor. The Geminibots followed them with their rifles uncomprehendingly as they bounced into their ranks.

B-B-B-B-BOOM!

Dozens of Geminibots were blown apart while shrapnel flew into dozens more. That was the cue. Artemis and Maverick dropped down from the elevators ceiling and streaked into the room side by side. Artemis shot her bow into the chest of a Geminibot ten men deep into his formation. She jumped and retracted the arrow while holding tight to the bow, catapulting herself like a missile into them. Maverick charged forward with a whip of electricity in one hand and a flaming fire sword with the other, hacking and slashing.

Several floors above them, a tall, dark-haired swordsman watched the fight on a big screen television screen.

"Afreet!" Druj called to his brother. "Come look at this!"

Afreet sat cross-legged in the corner, ignoring the couches and seats and cushions around him. He sat rigidly on the floor with a thick tome balanced on his lap, his fingers reading the raised dots of braille.

"No," he droned. "I don't care about your incredulous medical drama or cliché sitcom or your c-list celebrity dance competition or whatever drivel you're into now."

"It isn't a television show." Druj insisted. "This is the security feed. Look!"

Afreet sighed and closed his book. He disappeared, though the outline of his form stayed behind for a split second in black like a shadow, and reappeared beside his brother. He leaned forward to peer at the big screen despite the blindfold over his eyes.

Artemis and Maverick fought on the screen. Maverick hummed and gestured. Two parallel streams of blue electricity appeared, arcing and sparking. Artemis got a running start, put her bow under her feet and balanced on the two twin bolts. She surfed down the line, striking left and right at Geminibots on either side of the electric road.

"Interesting." Afreet said. "I assume they're fighting Geminibots."

"Yes." Druj nodded. "On floor fifteen. Quite a few of them, too."

The tiniest of smirks appeared on Afreet's face. "It's been a long time since anyone has posed a challenge to use." He suggested.

"Not since Markovia." Druj said it with much less zeal, but his face was unreadable. He might have said more, but the room alarm that was meant to spur them into action went off. "Shall we go?"

"Not yet." Afreet decided. "These two didn't come here just to pick a fight. I'm curious as to what they're up to now."

"Miss Gemini won't like that."

"At this point she won't be satisfied until they're dead." Afreet said. "She won't care if we wait a little bit before we kill them. All she cares about are results." They continued to watch the screen. "I'll take the girl. You can have the other one."

Druj cast a sidelong look at his brother. "You've been quite the ladies' man lately." He suggested slyly.

Afreet ignored him.

Back on the fifteenth floor, the tide of battle was starting to turn. Maverick and Artemis were slowly being overrun by the sheer number of Geminibots. Maverick blasted a clear path before him with a funnel of fire only to be tackled from behind. He grunted, wrestled and kicked the light blue robot off of him only to be smacked in the back of the head with another.

"I think we have their attention now!" He called sardonically even as he turned and arced his electric whip.

Artemis made space for herself with a three sixty spin of her bow, crouched down low and launched herself up like a rocket. She smashed through the ceiling and, now on the floor above, kicked down to widen the hole. Then she jumped down, laced her fists together and knocked a similar hole in the floor below. She turned and shot an arrow into a Geminibot sneaking up on Maverick from behind.

"Go!" Artemis pointed at the hole in the floor. "You know where to meet!"

"Right!" Maverick nodded and bent down next to the hole. "Take care of yourself!"

Artemis hesitated. She back slapped a robot away and turned to Maverick, but he was already gone. She shook her head, shot her roped arrow through the hole in the ceiling and rappelled up through it.

TTTTTTTTTT

Raven zipped across the city standing on a black, flat disc of telekinesis. Aquagirl sat on the edge of it, her feet dangling and the wind whipping around her smiling face.

"This is awesome!" She shouted above the rushing wind.

"I've always liked it myself." Raven smiled.

The disc lowered and hovered above the street just in front of the Gemini Building. Aquagirl was disappointed the ride was over, but then she was distracted by the broken front entrance and the rubble that lay beyond it. She stared into the broken guts of the Gemini Building.

"Whoa!" She said. "What happened here? It looks like a war broke out!"

From ten floors up, a Geminibot was flung through a window. It fell in a shower of glass and crunched into the roof of a nearby car.

"It looks like it's still going on." Raven said grimly.

Beast Boy swooped in then in the form of a green hawk. He flared his wings as he came down for a landing and reverted to his green-skinned elf form.

"This place again?" He complained, but then he spotted Aquagirl sitting on the edge of Raven's disc. "Hey! You never let me ride that thing! Why does she get to?"

"She can't fly." Raven said. "You can."

Cyborg pulled up in the T-Car and Robin and Starfire came in behind him on the sleek red R-Cycle.

"Maybe we should even be here." Beast Boy suggested as they gathered together. "I mean, the Gemini lady doesn't want us here, right? We can let her army of robots take care of things and we can get back to more important things!"

"Like what?" Cyborg wanted to know. Beast Boy looked back at him awkwardly, but Robin bailed him out by speaking up.

"We're Titans." He said. "Our job is to protect the city. Whether Miss Gemini likes it or not, her building is a part of it. We're going in." He finished with a swift punch to his palm.

"Somehow I knew you'd say something like that." Beast Boy deflated.

"We're going in blind and we have a lot of ground to cover. We should split up into groups." Robin decided. "Beast Boy and Starfire will come with me." He paused and gave Aquagirl a long look. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked her.

Aquagirl met his gaze bravely.

"I'm ready for anything." She said.

"Then you're with Raven. She'll look out for you."

"And I'll look out for her." Aquagirl vowed.

Robin smiled proudly at her.

"What about the big metal guy?" Cyborg asked.

"I have a special job for you." Robin said. "Miss Gemini will never invite us here, so we should take advantage of this. I want you to find the Gemini mainframe and see what information you can dig up." He looked around to be sure they were all clear. "Titans, go!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Trish had finally recovered from her trip to the torture chamber known as Research Room Two. Her physical bruising had healed, but her mind was still scarred. She knew, deep down, that she was close to breaking. She didn't even feel like Trish anymore. Trish was a free girl with a family and a life. As far as the Gemini Corporation was concerned, she was Project 22, but somehow that didn't seem right. It was something Dr. Raskov had said that somehow stuck with her.

"_Either you're a fool...or you're just destined to be in pain."_

That cut to the center of everything. Her life had become pain, emotionally and physically. Between the training and Research Room Two and the separation from her sister and family, that's all she felt. She had become someone totally different.

She had become a Paingirl.

At first, Paingirl thought she was imagining the faint, booming sounds from the floors below her. They were a dream, perhaps, or just the product of wishful thinking. But as time went on, they became closer and closer and more distinct in her ears until finally it arrived on her own floor. Gemini Guardsmen and Geminibots ran down the hallway outside her cell, shouting and clutching their weapons tightly.

Paingirl peeked through the small, innocent glass window in her cell door and watched them run past.

"Hey!" She shouted. "What's going on?"

One of the Geminibots stopped in front of her door and glanced through the window. The next moment a sharp-tipped arrow impaled through it's head. Paingirl let out a short scream and stumbled back. The steel, reinforced door creaked before being ripped brutally from the wall. A dark-skinned girl tossed it negligently down the hallway and stepped into the room. She wore a leather plated dress, a black and orange breastplate and a sharp, angled eye mask. Paingirl tried to crawl back away from her, but she reached out and firmly grabbed her wrist.

"Wh-who are you?"

"I'm Artemis." She was already pulling her out of the room. "I'm here to save you."

Some of the resistance fell out of Paingirl.

"But my sister-"

"My partner is taking care of her." Artemis said. "Now stick close to me if you want to get out of this in one piece." She released her grip on Paingirl and let her follow along on her own.

Paingirl looked over her shoulder.

"We're going the wrong way." She said. "The stairs are back that way!"

"I've got one more special stop before we leave." Artemis all but sneered. They came to a cross-way where three Geminibots leaped at them in ambush. Paingirl flinched, but Artemis took them out with a single swipe of her bow. Paingirl blinked at her in astonishment.

Artemis stopped at the intersecting hallways, looking this way and that and ignoring the sparking robot parts at her feet.

"Which way are the offices?" She asked.

"I don't know." Paingirl said, feeling even more useless. "I've never seen-"

"They are just below us." Afreet suddenly teleported in front of them in a flash of black, complete with blindfold. "I wonder why you care. Do you plan to hold them hostage?"

"Of course not." Artemis said indignantly. "I'm not a terrorist."

"That's too bad. I think you would be good at it." Afreet said blandly. "Why do you want Project 22?"

"That's none of your business. Now get out of the way before I have to hurt you."

"You're not nearly as interesting as I hoped." Afreet yawned. "I'm going to have to kill you now."

"Kill us?" Artemis scoffed. "Teleporting powers aren't going to help your blindness."

Afreet tilted his neck back to 'look' up at her and then smacked her sharply across the face.

"I can't see in the physical plane, but I can see other things...like the darkness in people's souls."

Artemis growled and snatched him up like a child by the front of his shirt. She flung him spinning and flipping through the air down the hallway, but he disappeared before the moment of contact with the far wall. He reappeared above Artemis brandishing a jagged black dagger in each hand. Artemis jumped back and blocked his blurring strikes with her bow, backstepping down the hallway. She aimed a bow strike at his feet, but he jumped and landed on it. She lifted hard, sending him into the ceiling. Again he teleported before the moment of impact and, a split second later, he seemingly came up from the floor in another flash of black.

Paingirl watched the fight awkwardly. Her adrenaline was running and she was anxious to help, but she wasn't sure what she could do. She was suddenly snatched up from behind in a pair of strong metal arms. Paingirl struggled, but the Geminibot held her tight.

"Artemis! Help!"

Artemis thrust out with the broadside of her bow, shoving Afreet away. Then she quickly notched her arrow and let it fly. The arrow dug into the Geminibot's shoulder and Paingirl was able to wriggle her way free. The distraction cost the archer, though. Afreet blindly reached up and felt the taut arrow cord. He pulled himself up onto it, stomped down it and kicked Artemis hard in the face.

There was the stompstompstomping of at least a dozen footfalls marching down the hallway.

"Artemis!" Paingirl ran towards her. "There are more-" She was cut off abruptly as Afreet reached out and put the blade of one of his daggers to her throat. Behind them a squad of Geminibots assembled in the hallway intersection. There was an electronic clacking as many of them removed an arm or leg or chest plate, converted them into a new part and put them together to make a long cannon wide enough to stick a basketball into.

"It's over." Afreet said with something akin to disappointment. His dagger was still at Paingirl's throat. "It was fun while it lasted."

Artemis, leaning back on her hands, took in the situation from beneath her mask. Paingirl was at the mercy of Afreet's wicked blade and, just beyond them, she stared down the barrel of a cannon. She grit her teeth and jerked hard on the arrow cord. The arrow, still stuck in the first Geminibot that had grabbed Paingirl, yanked the malfunctioning robot through the air towards Afreet's back. Afreet couldn't see the cord or the robot, but he did see Artemis' movement. He teleported away to avoid the flying robot only to reappear into the midst of the others behind him. Unable to see them, he bumped into one and stumbled ungracefully.

While he didn't see the cannon, Artemis certainly did. She reached out, picked up Paingirl like an infant and sprinted down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"Not this way!" Paingirl's voice was uneven as she was jostled by Artemis' steps. "It's a dead end."

"Not for long." Kelly growled.

Paingirl looked ahead and saw the window at the end of the corridor. It was made of glass, but a spiderweb of steel inside held it securely together.

"You can't break that!" Paingirl shouted even as the heard the cannon behind them glow and whir to life. "I've tried! You can't-!"

"Shut up and hold on!"

To her credit, Paingirl didn't scream. The energy cannon fired just as Artemis leaped and flung her shoulder into the reinforced window. The window didn't shatter, but instead broke away in a solid sheet. Artemis and Paingirl fell through the empty October air. Above them, the shot from the cannon crashed into the sheet of glass and exploded on impact. The concussion of the blast sent the two of them tumbling.

"Hold on!" Artemis shouted and Paingirl gripped her tight around the neck. Artemis drew back her bow and shot her arrow. The string whipped through the air and then pulled tight as the arrow dug into the side of the Gemini Building. Their momentum arced them inwards and into the plain window of the floor below. They shattered through it and barreled into a floor filled with cubicles and desks and printers. Workers screamed and scrambled to get out of the way. Artemis and Paingirl fell amidst a shower of fine shards. Artemis crashed into a desktop while Paingirl rolled across the floor and ragdolled into the wall.

One of the workers, a middle-aged black man with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows and a pair of square glasses on his face, curiously peered down at the debris of the desk that Artemis was half-buried beneath. He watched as Artemis sat up and dusted herself off. She looked up and their eyes met.

The man gasped.

"Kelly!"

Artemis' eyes widened and then turned into two hateful slits.

"Dad..." She snarled.

Afreet zapped between them in a strobe of black. He kicked off the chest of the man Artemis had called dad and flung himself into her. Kelly's dad stumbled back while Afreet and Artemis tumbled across the floor. Afreet tried to stab down at her with his daggers, but Artemis gripped his wrists and pushed him away.

The office workers tried to escape to the staircase, but it was blocked off as Geminibots filed shoulder to shoulder onto the floor. Paingirl stood up slowly, her body aching. She had absorbed kinetic energy during the fall and her numerous scars glowed blue. She reached down, hefted a printer over her head and tossed it at the advancing Geminibots. The moment they returned fire, however, she was forced to retreat and find cover.

A swirling black portal opened and Raven and Aquagirl came through. Raven was unaffected, but Aquagirl swayed unsteadily for a moment as she reoriented herself. They looked first at Artemis fighting Afreet, then Paingirl hiding from the Geminibots and finally the cluster of office workers trying to avoid the chaos.

"Um..." Aquagirl blinked her dark eyes. "Which ones are the bad guys?"

"We can sort it out later. Right now we need to get those people out." Raven said. She looked at the jagged pieces left in the window Artemis and Paingirl had come through. "Clear out that glass while I get the people."

As Raven began to herd the office workers, Aquagirl looked speculatively at the glass. She focused her powers to lift the water of an office cooler, bringing the plastic container with it. She directed it over to the window and used it to knock out the remaining glass. Even as she finished, she heard Raven call out.

"Aquagirl!"

Three Geminibots had decided Raven was a threat and opened fire on her with laser rifles. Raven held up a domed black shield to protect herself and the crowd behind her, but Aquagirl could see her straining to keep it up. Aquagirl forced the water from the office cooler and directed it into three concentrated streams to splashsplashsplash into the attacking robots. They fell back, lost their footing and were washed along the floor.

"Good work." Raven approved as she let down her shield. The two of them led the office workers to the now open window, shielding them from the chaos around them. Raven conjured a long slide of black telekinesis that led down to the street while Aquagirl helped each civilian up onto it and sent them on their way.

The laser fire was getting closer and closer to Paingirl as she hid behind a desk. She turned into it and shoved it as hard as she could. The heavy desk slid and rolled into a group of Geminibots, crushing them into the floor. She made a grab for another desk, but it wouldn't move as she heaved at it. She looked down at her arms and realized her scars no longer glowed. Paingirl gulped, ran as laser fire peppered around her and dove into the cover of a cubicle.

Afreet and Artemis continued to battle. Artemis' superhuman strength and agility was offset by Afreet's speed and his power to teleport. Artemis leaped back and forth across the room in gravity-defying fashion, fending off Afreet as he appeared in black flashes around her again and again and again. His daggers deflected off Artemis' bow as she blocked and parried his lightning quick strikes.

Artemis slashed at him with her bow, but she struck nothing but the dark aftereffect of his teleportation. He reappeared and kicked off the bow towards the ceiling. Artemis spun from the momentum, planted her feet and shot an arrow after him. Afreet stabbed into the ceiling with his daggers, hung there and lifted his lower body to avoid the shot and it stuck in the ceiling just behind him. He brought his feet back down and slid down the rope even as Artemis hit the button on her bow to retract it and flew up at him. Afreet vanished as they came together, but Artemis was ready for that. She turned in midair and rooted her feet to the ceiling. She pulled out the arrow and swung her bow in one swift motion.

THWACK!

She caught the reappearing Afreet full in the chest and line-drived him at the open window. A black hand of telekinesis flashed into existence and caught him before he could fly out. Afreet struggled manfully out of it and jumped to the floor.

"I didn't ask for you help." Afreet said sullenly.

Raven felt suddenly strange in this stranger's presence. She couldn't put her finger on it, but somehow she felt somehow sad. There was also something else that almost bordered on recognition. She peered closer at his blindfolded face.

"Do I...know you?"

Afreet smirked but ignored the question.

"Get out of here, slave, and take your girlfriend with you." He said instead. "I have people to kill." He tried to turn and walk away, but suddenly found himself in an obsidian vice.

"You're not going anywhere until we get answers." Raven intoned darkly.

Afreet, however, was looking around at the now empty room. Artemis and Paingirl were gone.

"Huh..." He hummed. "Maybe this will be more fun than I thought." Then he teleported out of Raven's grasp and disappeared.

TTTTTTTTTT

Cyborg's job was surprisingly easy. The war inside the Gemini Building seemed to be making it's way up, so Cyborg went down. He met a few Geminibots on the stairway, but they were nothing his sonic cannon couldn't handle. In fact, he was a little disappointed there weren't more of them. He had been a little frustrated lately and busting a few heads might make him feel better.

He had known Dr. Sarah Charles for nearly four years now. When he was rebuilt after his accident, he was assigned to the then rookie scientist as her first project at Star Labs. Cyborg had been bitter and angry at the time, but Sarah never let him get lost in his despair. She was tough on him, but always supportive during his physical therapy. At that time in his life, she was the only person he could count on and, quite naturally, he had developed feelings for her.

Cyborg left without expressing them, however. He had tried to return to his old neighborhood, but he couldn't deal with the stares and awkward meetings with people he had once considered his friends. He thought of himself as a monster. He took off without saying goodbye. He ended up in Jump City and the rest was history.

But then he was reunited with Sarah when she was transferred to the west coast branch of Star Labs. He went to her for all his repairs (some he could have easily handled on his own) and their relationship picked up where it had left off. It was nice to have her back, but he couldn't help wanting more. He had tried again and again to see her outside of Star Labs and outside of technical business, but she has politely shot down all of his attempts. Sarah liked him. Cyborg knew that much. But maybe-

Cyborg shook himself out of his reverie. There would be time for that later. He made his way down into the dark bowels of the Gemini Building. He came upon a thick, diasteel door that wouldn't have looked out of place on a submarine. He tip of his finger slid away with a mechanical hiss and he jacked himself into the keypad next to the door. He went to work with both his internal systems and his free hand, trying to break the password. His face tensed in concentration. There was a sudden spark of electricity as a defense measure kicked in. Cyborg yelped and withdrew his hands.

"Stupid door!" He punched it with a titanium fist. From inside came the sound of gears clicking together and bolted locks unlatching. Then the door swung open with a depressurized hiss. Cyborg stared at it with a slacked jaw.

"There's no way that worked. Absolutely no way." He muttered to himself.

He cautiously entered the dark room beyond. He clicked on his shoulder light.

"Hello?" He called. "Who's in here?"

His light shone over a control panel, an empty chair and a bundle of hanging wires.

"Thanks for opening the door." Cyborg tried again, his voice loud in the oppression. "I'm one of the good guys, okay? I'm a Teen Titan. My name is Cyborg. You may have heard of me. I can shoot a rocket from my shoe."

There was a clickclicklclick as the lights suddenly came on a segment at a time. Cyborg squinted his human eye against the abrupt brightness. Buttons lit up on the dozens and dozens of control centers. The room was tall and circular and computer processors reached to the very top on all sides. Robin had sent him to find information and he had certainly come to the right spot: He had found the Gemini mainframe.

Cyborg let out an impressed whistle. The technology here wasn't just state of the art; it would be state of the art five years from now. Some of it he didn't even recognize. Cyborg could have had a field day just examining everything, but he had a job to do.

Strangely, he couldn't find a place to jack in. He roamed the consoles and terminals to no avail. Perplexed, he began to look over the dome-shaped metal in the center of the room. His metal fingers ran over it, searching for the latch or the release. It opens with a whir along a line so fine it had been imperceptible. Cyborg tried to peek inside, but a cloud of white fog billowed out into his face. His red optic flashed as he peered through it. A woman's face rose up at him.

"Dah!" Cyborg jerked back and nearly lost his balance.

The woman inside the pod sat up, blinking uncomprehendingly as she gazed around the room. Her eyes were red, her hair a deep pink and her skin a greenish blue. She also happened to be as naked as the day she was born.

Cyborg recollected himself, trying to blush and look concerned at the same time.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I...think so." Her voice was strangely monotone. She began to say more, but then her eyes widened in shock. "I'm awake! I shouldn't be awake!"

"It's all right." Cyborg tried to calm her. "You're safe now. You-"

"No! You don't understand!" She clutched her head and her face contorted into a look of intense pain. "It's starting! It's starting!"

Cyborg reached out to help. In that moment the girl screamed and clutched his hand.

Cyborg shook at the contact, his joints sparking and the light in his eye flashing erratically. His various functions like his shoulder light and sonic cannon clacked open and shut and open and shut. He collapsed into an unconscious heap even as the mysterious girl did the same. The red light of his eye flickered and went out.


	23. Oct 6: Crazy Motorcycle Or Not

"_Time for us to get the hell out of Dodge." - Maverick_

**Crazy Motorcycle (Without The Motorcycle)**

**October 6th**

**Morning**

She was a girl with no name, but the people around her called her Project 23. The girl couldn't have cared less. She saw no purpose in giving things names. In fact, she saw no purpose in anything. She lived completely and totally in the present; the past was meaningless and the future didn't exist. She was an observer, taking in everything around her without judgment or opinion.

The only thing she clung to was her routine. In a world she didn't understand, it was all she had to count on. She lived in her little white room with its medical bed and one plain chair. Not that it mattered; she spent her time huddled in the corner, her knees to her chest and rockingrockingrocking back and forth in comforting repetition.

Sometimes the people in white came. They would examine her and hurt her arm and do other things she didn't understand. All she knew was that if she ignored them long enough, they would go away.

The person that entered her sanctuary then was not dressed in white. For a moment she was hopeful it was the green man, but she saw that it wasn't. She kept her eyes on the ground, but studied this new intruder in her peripheral vision.

He was dressed in orange and black with a horizontal mask that left his mouth open. His gloves were thick and laced with metal and there was a curved shoulder bracer on his left side. His bodysuit was thick and made of leather and his combat boots were metal tipped. There was a coil of black rope on his belt. Whoever he was, Project 23 had never seen him before.

He was talking to her. The words were just noise to her, but she liked them all the same. He sounded different from the others. There was a peculiar twang to it and a kind of directness that engaged her. The man kept trying to meet her eyes as he spoke, but Project 23 defeated his efforts by continuously looking away. She only saw him out of the side of her eyes.

The man picked her up then. She stiffened instinctively. This was something she wasn't used to and it made her immediately apprehensive. But then his voice was there to soothe her and she allowed herself to relax. She did anything but relax, however, when he tried to tote her out of the room.

She screamed at the very top of her lungs and it was a shrill, animalistic sound. It had its desired effect: The stranger stopped and took her back through the doorway. He spoke to her for a moment and tried again, but again Project 23 screamed.

The stranger put her down and spoke to her. He reached beneath the high neckline of his flexible armor and brought out something silver and shiny that immediately caught Project 23's eye. The stranger's hands went to behind his neck, but Project 23 was no longer paying attention. The necklace shined dully with a soft glittering. The stranger took her hand and dropped the necklace into a fluid pile in her palm.

Project 23 liked the feel of it in her hands. She rubbed her fingertip along it and stopped as she came to the pendant. It felt different and it made her stop. She almost recognized the shape, but then it slipped away into the recesses of her mind. She traced the horizontal and vertical line for a moment before it lost her attention and she went back examine the smoothly rough chain. She subconsciously felt herself being lifted again, but she didn't care. Her big blue eyes studied the chain in rapt attention and ignored the rest of the world.

TTT

Maverick lifted the petite girl up and carried her piggyback. He slowly and carefully stepped out of the room and sighed in relief when she didn't react. The necklace had done the trick, at least for now. It gave her something else to focus on.

Maverick trotted down the hallway, his combat boots clicking across the hard tiled floor. There was an urgent exultation in his blood. It was almost over. He had rescued the girl Slade's file had called Project 23. Now all he had to do was get her out of there. He worried about Kelly in the back of his mind, but he tried not to dwell on it. Kelly was much better at all this fighting and combat than he was. If he was going to worry about anyone, it should be about himself.

He found the stairway then and knew it was his path to freedom. He began to stomp down them, but far below he saw a contingent of what was either Geminibots or Gemini Guardsmen. He couldn't be sure from the brief glance so far away. Either way, they hadn't seen him and they were blocking his way. He turned reluctantly and started upward instead. He had only gone up one flight from his original floor, however, when he dug in his boots at the flat clearing at the next turn up.

At the top of the stairs, lounging like someone with nothing to do but wait, was a dusty-skinned young man with long, spiky black hair. He was dressed in navy blue, his boots were brown and a red cloak was bunched beneath his chin. His eyes were an eerie red on black. What made Maverick stop, however, was the huge claymore sword balanced across his knees. It looked more like a giant hunk of metal than an actual functional blade.

"Ah, there you are." Druj said it urbanely. "I was just on the verge of coming to find you." He looked over Maverick's shoulder at Project 23 who was still absorbed in the chain. "I was wondering what you came back for."

"She's got a right to a normal life like everyone else. I won't let you keep her here like some kind of lab rat!" This had become more personal to Maverick than simple moral outrage. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she reminded him of Melody. The thought of Melody in her position stirred something deep inside of him.

"That's very noble of you." The swordsman said clinically. "It would have been even nobler if you had saved her during your first two break ins instead of stealing the nanotech. It's nice to see you have your priorities in line." He stood up and leaned against his sword. "Miss Gemini tolerated you before. When you were breaking in at night, she was content to hunt you down quietly out of the public eye. But this..." He gestured all around him. "This is a declaration of all out war. I have to kill you now."

"I don't want to fight you." Maverick said it tensely.

"That's too bad." Druj flicked a spike of hair out of his face. "Neither of us have a choice in the matter."

"You always have a choice."

Druj smirked at that.

"And what if I didn't? Would you save me, too?"

Maverick frowned. Somehow he knew what was coming next.

Druj's sword was a gangly thing and the close quarters of the staircase limited its potential. Druj slashed down at Maverick, but chopped nothing but the stairs themselves as Maverick dodged to the side and rushed up past him. Project 23, completely unperturbed and her arms around Maverick's neck, continued to fiddle with the necklace in her hands just over his shoulder.

Druj sprinted up after them. He slashed again as they came upon the next turn. Maverick ducked and was showered with sparks as the blade scrapped chillingly along the handrail just above him. He held out his palm and shoved the swordsman back with a quick gust of wind before fleeing once more. Maverick turned suddenly and, with a ragged hum, launched a fireball. Druj, however, had been ready and knocked it aside with his sword.

Maverick was at a disadvantage. Druj was the taller of the two, with long legs capable of taking three steps at a time. He also didn't have a passenger between his shoulder blades to carry. The burning muscles in Maverick's legs and the tightness in his smoke-damaged lungs told him he had to be nearing the top of the building. He chanced a glance up and was relieved to see the ceiling. They were almost there.

Druj made his move at the last second. Halfway up the next to last flight of stairs he hopped up on the guard rail, leaped to grab the railing of the last flight and pulled himself up even as Maverick and Project 23 were making the turn onto it. Druj stabbed down at the shocked infiltrator. Maverick avoided it on pure reflex, moving just enough for the blade to pass harmlessly beneath his armpit. His reflexes couldn't help him avoid the follow up slash. The flat of the blade caught him full in the chest. He flew back and smashed through the rich, red oak door behind him and into the room beyond.

Maverick found himself rolling across a deeply carpeted floor. He grimaced at the pain in his chest before he realized Project 23 was no longer on his back. He gasped and looked around worriedly for her.

She sat in a clear blue dome of force, completely unharmed and still preoccupied with his necklace. Maverick let out a sigh of relief and wonder.

STAB!

Maverick jerked back as Druj's sword passed his nose and poked into the floor. He rolled onto his back and jabbed his combat boots into Druj's chest. The sword came free as Druj staggered back. Maverick brought his knees up to his chest, leaned back on his shoulders and whipped himself to his feet in one quick motion.

This floor was different from the others. It didn't have that harsh, business-like sterileness of the rest of the building. In fact, it was warm and cheery and the soul of comfort. Everything from the deep carpet to the redwood walls to the priceless, tasteful decorations spoke of opulence and wealth.

Maverick and Druj were about to cost Gemini a lot of money.

Maverick threw a flaming fireball. Druj ducked it and it exploded into a blue-speckled vase behind him. Druj charged and swiped his sword at Maverick's ankles. Maverick jumped the strike, ducked another aimed at his head and slammed his fist into Druj's chin. Druj flinched, blocked Maverick's next punch with his elbow and jabbed the hilt of his sword into Maverick's belly. Maverick bent over sharply, but somehow caught Druj's follow up knee to his face. Maverick threw his leg up with a grunt, but Druj agilely backflipped with the momentum, used his sword as a pole-vault upside down and landed on his feet across the room. Maverick panted while Druj looked none the worse for the wear.

"You're better than I thought." Druj admitted. "Slade must have trained you well."

Maverick squinted at him from behind his mask.

"How do you know Slade?" He demanded.

Druj let out a short laugh.

"Either you think I'm the most ignorant man in the city or-" he paused thoughtfully. "Or you are."

Maverick clenched his jaw. He didn't feel like talking. He hummed and pointed a finger at Druj's sword. A bolt of blue electricity arced from his hand to the blade. Druj flinched, but he was unhurt. He smugly showed Maverick his gloved, insulated hands.

Maverick rushed at him on a curtain of wind faster than Druj could anticipate. They slammed bodily together and crashed through a glass display case filled with war memorabilia. They tumbled over it, grappling and wrestling. Druj tried to create enough distance to bring his sword to bear while Maverick did everything he could to prevent it. They shimmied manfully together, trying to place their feet in the best position.

Maverick ultimately won that battle. He set his feet, threw out his hip and flipped Druj over it. Druj held fast and Maverick tumbled across the floor as well. Maverick used a marble statue to pull himself back to his feet. He lifted his face just in time to see Druj coming in with his sword reared back over his shoulder.

SLASH!

Maverick ducked and the decapitated head of the statue spun through the air and bounced across the carpeted floor. Maverick shoved what was left of the statue over onto Druj, but the swordsman snaked away. Druj feinted another wide slash and instead stabbed sharply. Maverick, with nowhere else to go, leaned back impossibly far to avoid it. His body, barely a foot off the ground, was held up by a bundle of conjured wind. He reached up and grabbed the blade of Druj's sword with both hands. Strings of electricity arced along it to no obvious effect. Then Maverick shoved it aside and exploded up on wind with a twisting uppercut.

Druj fell back and moved to attack again, but then he stopped. His curiosity outweighing his will to fight.

"Why did you try to shock me like that again?" He wanted to know. "You know it wouldn't work."

"I wasn't trying to shock you." Maverick picked up an old Civil War rifle and banged the butt of it against the fallen statue until the wooden stock broke free, leaving him with a long metal barrel. He held it up and the electric shape of a blade formed around it. "I was magnetizing it. Just like I'm magnetizing this...with the same polarity."

Maverick smirked to himself. Crystal would be proud.

Druj tilted his head.

"That's clever." He admitted begrudgingly. "It's not going to be help...but it's clever."

Maverick was no fencer, nor had he any formal training in the ways of the sword. His reflexes were good, though, and his muscles were strong from years of ranch work. He awkwardly fended off Druj's sword strokes, helped greatly by the repelling magnetized field from his own 'blade'. They fought across the room, destroying various displays including a suit of knight armor.

In the end, Druj's swordsmanship was too much for Maverick to withstand. The electric sword was knocked from his hand and landed across the room as an ordinary rifle barrel. Unarmed, Maverick stepped back as Druj advanced on him.

A door burst open behind Maverick and sent him careening to the floor. Maryse Gemini herself was there holding a short shotgun at her side. She looked around at the wrecked museum room with obvious irritation and then glared at Druj and Maverick.

"I thought I told you to kill him." Maryse demanded of Druj.

"I was just about-" Druj tried to say, but Maryse face-shoved him out of the way.

"I'll do it myself!" She snapped. She stood over Maverick and aimed the shotgun down at him.

Maverick's blue eyes widened behind his mask as he stared up at the double-barreled face of death. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He had a family and a daughter and promises to keep. He grit his teeth in fear and determination and tensed to move, but he was already too late.

Maryse pulled the trigger.

BLAM!

Death was surprisingly unpainful. Maverick peeked open his eyes and saw a world of blue. Just above him was a translucent, glowing shield. It flickered out a moment later and the still hot shotgun pellets fell over Maverick. He sat up and he, Maryse and Druj all looked at Project 23 sitting in the corner of the room. She still held the necklace Maverick had given her, but she was no longer studying it. Though she refused to make eye contact, Maverick could tell she was looking at him. He had made some kind of bond with her.

"Damn girl." Maryse cursed. She pointed at Project 23 and snapped her fingers. "Take care of her." She ordered Druj.

Druj gave her a startled look, but then made his way towards the girl and brandishing his sword.

"Not like that, you idiot!" Maryse barked at him in her accent. "She's too valuable!" She sighed in frustration. "_I'll_ deal with her. You take care of him the only way you know how."

Project 23 screamed in protest as Maryse roughly grabbed her upper arm and dragged her across the room.

"Let go of her!" Maverick tried to advance, but Druj's arcing sword forced him back.

Maryse opened an empty Egyptian sarcophagus, thrust Project 23 inside and slammed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Druj and Maverick had worked their way across the room. Druj stood atop a triceratops skeleton and stabbed down into its ribs where Maverick laid and contorted to dodge them. Maryse aimed her shotgun and emptied the second barrel.

BLAM!

The shot was too far away for an accurate burst. The pellets spread and clinkclinkclinked off the dinosaur bones. Some of the pellets caught Maverick in the shoulder, but his thick leather armor kept them from penetrating into his skin. Maryse grumbled when she saw the attack hadn't done much damage.

Druj chopped down with all his strength, cleaving bone but not his target. The skeleton fell apart and sent the two boys tumbling away from each other.

Maryse ground her teeth together at the destruction.

"I'll take care of this myself." She muttered. She took off her long, aqua-colored coat and rolled up the sleeves of her white dress shirt in a business-like fashion. She hiked up her skirt, kicked off her high heels and dug her stocking'd feet into the carpet. Then she snatched a two hundred year old katana from its display stand hanging on the wall and charged.

Maverick did a double-take. He jumped back too slow to avoid her slash. A narrow red cut appeared across his chest and the 'S' emblem over his heart fell to the floor. Maverick backpedaled and avoided her next attack.

Maryse's katana was much faster than Druj's claymore. It sliced through the air in a blur nearly too fast for Maverick's eyes to follow. Her strikes were well placed. Maverick coldly realized she was nearly as well trained as Druj. Speaking of the swordsman, Maverick could see him advancing out of the corner of his eye. He knew fending off both of them at once would more than he could chew.

Maverick rolled under Maryse's katana and lumbered to the remains of the suit of knight armor. He hefted the huge iron shield it had been holding, surprised at how big and heavy it was. Maryse and Druj charged him at once side by side. Maverick ducked and caught their blades on the shield. From beneath it, he put his palm on the back of the shield and hummed a complicated melody.

Electricity surged strongly through the shield and arced and crackled like blue spiderwebs into the metal of both blades. Druj, protected by his gloves, was pushed back on his heels. Maryse wasn't so lucky. She was lifted up bodily and thrown roughly to the carpeted floor.

Druj's red on black eyes narrowed.

"What did you just do?" He demanded.

Maverick held out his free hand and a spear of flickering fire came into existence.

"Come find out." He drawled.

Maverick stabbed with his spear. Druj leaped, spread his legs to avoid it and came down with a crushing blow that Maverick caught on his shield. Druj reared back for another blow, only to find his hands were empty. His sword was stuck tight to Maverick's shield.

Druj blinked. He opened his mouth-

Maverick went on the attack with a viscous flurry of stabstabstabstabs with his spear. Druj danced and dodged and backpedaled with great agility. Maverick spun even as he twirled the flame spear above him in the opposite direction, braced it under his arm and smacked Druj across the chest with it. Even before Druj hit the ground, Maverick pivoted and flung the spear like a javelin at Maryse who had recovered and been stalking behind him. She gasped and crouched down to her knees. The spear passed over her and impaled into the wall near a window. The satin curtains smoldered and caught fire.

Druj came down from above and landed on Maverick's shield. He planted his feet, wrenched his sword free and jumped clear. Maverick reached down to the coil of black cord at his belt, swung the grappling hook with one hand and tossed it after him. The cord wrapwrapwrapped around his ankles. Maverick pulled hard, changing his trajectory and slamming him into the wall. He kicked up the knife from his boot, cut the cord short and put it back on his belt.

Maryse stabbed her katana at Maverick's unprotected back. It should have been a killing blow, but the magnetized shield saved him. The magnetic pull altered the strike and she only slashed his elbow instead as the thin blade stuck to the shield. Maverick grunted in pain and dropped the heavy shield, pulling Maryse's katana from her grasp as it clattered to the floor. Maverick turned on her angrily, reached out and held her petite throat in his left hand. Bigger and stronger, he easily forced her back into the wall where Project 23's sarcophagus stood. He cocked back his right fist, but his face softened and he hesitated.

That moment of indecision was all Maryse needed. She kicked him hard between the legs, wrenched free of his grasp and clawed him across the face with an open hand. Maverick fell over in a heap. Maryse strutted over and aimed a kick at his gut, but Maverick caught her by the ankle and pulled her foot out from underneath her. He stood up, still half bent over in pain, and picked her up by her blonde hair. He opened the sarcophagus door, pulled out Project 23 and thrust Maryse inside.

"H-hey! Wait! You can't-"

Maverick slammed the door shut on her. Behind him, Druj had cut his way free from his bonds. But even as he did, a square of blue force flashed into being, trapping him against the wall. He smacked it time and time again with his sword, but the force field held.

The fire that started with the curtains was growing. Maverick sweat from the heat on his face and thick black smoke began to fill the room. He looked through the doorway at the unguarded staircase. He glanced back at the fire drawing closer to the sarcophagus. He licked his lips and then cursed under his breath. He held out his hands in concentration and let sheets of water drop formlessly on the fire. Steam billowed and the fire hissed angrily at its death.

Project 23's force field couldn't last forever. Maverick saw the telltale cracks in it as Druj continued to bash it with his sword. It was time to leave. Maverick picked up Project 23 again and took her back into the staircase. They emerged onto the roof of the Gemini Building just a moment later. The sky and the clear air was refreshing; they were free.

Maverick put down his passenger long enough to reach into his belt for a new grappling hook. He attached it to his coiled cord, whipped it in a circular blur over his head and launched it at the nearest rooftop. It was a useless action; he could fly, after all. But that simple logic was lost on his irrational fear of heights. A safety cord was the only thing that would allow him to do what he did next.

Druj burst onto the roof. He stomped and slashed the empty air where Maverick and Project 23 had been a split second before. Maverick flew off the roof on a front of wind, holding Project 23 in his arms. He shivered at the thought of all the empty space beneath him and resolutely refused to look down. The safety cord was wrapped around his tightly clenched fist. Despite the horrible feeling of flying, Maverick was glad it was over. They were out of reach and Druj stood helplessly on the rooftop of the Gemini Building.

At first it looked as if Druj was leaning over in defeat, but then a pair of black wings burst bloodily from his back. He flapped his leathery, bat-like wings and rose into the air as Maverick stared in cold shock. He flew up high and then dove like a hawk. Maverick shook himself just enough to dodge the sword strike, but then Druj flipped and kicked with both feet at once.

When Maverick was twelve he had fallen through the thin ice of a frozen over pond near his house. Another time a tree had nearly fallen on him. On multiple occasions he had found himself tumbling beneath the steel-shod hooves of a thousand pound bull. But never had he ever been more afraid for himself than in that moment he found himself flailing through the awfully empty air. Project 23 made a spherical force field around them. They smashed through the top of a car on the roof of a nearby parking garage. The force field shattered on contact. Project 23 fell into the bed of a pickup truck, hit her head and didn't move.

"N-no!" Maverick woozily climbed in after her, but the young girl was out cold.

"Good." Druj approved as he levitated down on his outstretched wings. "I was starting to get a little tired of her interference anyway."

Maverick growled from deep inside his gut. Fire licked out between his clenched fingers and, for the briefest of moments, snaked out of the corner of his eyes. With a rebel yell he held his palms out together and unleashed a funnel of pure fire. Druj swooped down to avoid it, but the fire followed after him. He ran down a line of cars, jumping and flipping and spinning between and over them from one to the next. The fire followed after him a split second later, igniting and exploding each car in a staccato burst Druj came to the end of the line and pulled up short.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOM!

Druj disappeared in the smoke and, panting and sweating, Maverick allowed the beam of fire to die. He leaned over on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Unseen above the smoky carnage, Druj hung in the air. He dove down with his sword poised for a killing blow. Maverick, still recovering, never saw him.

ZAF!

A green starbolt knocked him away. Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy had emerged from the roof entrance of the parking garage.

"Um, Starfire." Beast Boy scratched at his green hair. "I think maybe you hit the wrong one."

Druj recovered, though his chest steamed from the attack.

"This is none of your business." He said to them. "Get out of here."

Robin had been glaring at Maverick, taking in the obvious design of his uniform.

"We're making it out business." The Boy Wonder declared.

"Then you can die with him!" Druj's red pupils were brighter now, and his voice was slurred and deep. He rushed in, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Starfire flew out of reach and Beast Boy scampered away in the form of a green squirrel. Robin jumped the attack and landed on the broad sword. Then he kicked Druj square in the face.

Maverick watched Druj battle the three Titans. He seemed faster and stronger than when they had fought, but also more uncoordinated and reckless. He flew and bounced between the three young heroes, hacking and slashing at them with his sword. With the four of them occupying each others' attention, Maverick knew it was time for him to leave. He climbed into the back of the truck where Project 23 still lay.

"C'mon, darlin'." He whispered as he gathered her up in his arms. "Time for us to get the hell out of Dodge."

But even in the midst of the fight, Robin noticed Maverick trying to slip away.

"Beast Boy!" He pointed. "Go!"

Beast Boy took in the situation with one quick glance and melted down into the form of a cheetah to lope after Maverick. Maverick toted Project 23 down into the next level, turned and sealed off the entrance with a wall of fire. Beast Boy sailed through the wall safe inside a turtle shell and landed in the loping grace of a gazelle. He took two bounding strides and then slid to a stop.

Maverick was gone.

Beast Boy turned into his green self and looked around with a fanged frown. It was dark out of the sun and there were a million places to hide.

"Who is she?" Beast Boy called into blackness. "Just tell me that!"

Silence. Water dripped from somewhere.

"Tell me!" Beast Boy shouted. "I gotta know, okay!"

"Gemini kidnapped her." Maverick said, still hiding near the back of a van some twenty yards away. "They've kept here prisoner for years. I'm here to rescue her."

"Taking her to Slade isn't rescuing her!" Beast Boy said passionately. "Slade doesn't save or help people! He uses people! He manipulates them! Just like I know he's manipulating you!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Maverick called back. "I respect what you and the Titans do, but you can only do so much. Sometimes you have to play the villain to get things done!"

"Are you hearing yourself? _That's_ the excuse he gave you to break the law?"

Maverick hesitated and licked his lips.

"He helped me!" Maverick shouted back, though there was a tinge of self-doubt in his voice. "He took me in when I had nowhere else to go!"

"That's what he does! He makes you think-" Beast Boy groaned in anger and frustration. "That's it! I'm not letting him ruin someone else's life!" He changed into a bat and let out a high-pitched screech. Echolocation flashed back to him and he immediately spied where Maverick and Project 23 were hiding. Beast Boy landed and turned into a mouse to creep over undetected. He grew up into a meaty-armed gorilla and grabbed Maverick from behind.

"H-hey!" Maverick struggled. "Let me go!"

Project 23 stirred and regained her consciousness. She stood up and looked up at Beast Boy. Blue eyes met green. Beast Boy's grip loosened just enough for Maverick to make his move. He conjured a fireball and levitated it up to Beast Boy's face.

FLASH!

The fireball exploded with a bright light. Beast Boy dropped Maverick to rub his spinning eyes. By the time he cleared them and looked around, Maverick and Project 23 had disappeared without a trace.

Back up on the top level, Druj was trying his best to fight off Robin and Starfire. Their two-pronged, experienced attack was wearing the swordsman thin. Druj had grown more and more enraged until he was practically frothing at the mouth. He growled and yelled at every swing of his sword.

Robin rolled a handful of smoke pellets that exploded at Druj's feet. Druj coughed and tried to wave the smoke away.

"Starfire!" Robin yelled. "Now!"

Starfire grabbed his outstretched bo-staff. She spun it and him over her head and launched him at Druj. Robin twirledtwirledtwirled through the air and walloped him with his bo-staff. Druj dropped his sword and went down in a bouncing, rolling heap. Robin leaned over him and pulled him up by the front of his shirt.

"Be careful, Robin." Starfire warned him.

"I want some answers!" Robin hissed. "What's going on here?"

"I would let go of him if I were you." Afreet was suddenly there.

Robin's eye slits narrowed to look at him.

"Why should I?"

Afreet adjusted his blindfold.

"Just look at his eyes."

Druj's red eyes were brighter than ever, glowing a fiery red. They somehow seemed to be expanding and slowly blocking out his black corneas.

"Something bad is about to happen." Afreet went on. "You want me to get him out of her before that happens. Trust me."

"Give me some answers and maybe I will." Robin replied. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I have a better idea." Afreet twirled his black daggers. "Either you let go of my brother or I'll kill you."

"No you shall not!" Starfire flew at him.

Afreet looked leftrightupdownleftright. Starfire's super-powered punch sent him flying. He went straight off the roof, flipping wildly, but then he disappeared and reappeared next to Druj.

"D-D-Druj!" Afreet pulled on his sleeve in a motion that suddenly made him look much younger than he was. "What happened? What was that?"

"You're blind." Robin said.

"No! I'm-" Afreet stopped. Druj was shaking. Patches of black appeared and crawled across his skin. Afreet shoved Robin away and, in the next moment, he and Druj disappeared in a wispy aftereffect of black.

"I do not understand." Starfire said. "Where did they go?"

Before Robin could answer, his communicator chirped out a warning. He opened it up and looked at it grimly.

"It's Cyborg. His systems just went offline."


	24. Veran: Part Two

_**Veran: Part Two**_

_**?**_

_**?**_

_Veran sat next to a cascading waterfall, reading a book of poetry with a smile on her face. The stream of water fell from the sky and its source – if there was one – was hidden beyond the clouds. The steady, peaceful rushing filled Veran's ears and the misty water shot forth a myriad of shimmering rainbows._

"_What is a man without a heart?  
Or a being without a soul?_

_A mother with no child?_

_Or a King without a throne?_

_What good is a voice_

_If it cannot sing?_

_What good is the sky_

_To a bird with no wings?"_

_Veran looked up to behold the first person she had ever seen. It was a young boy with a shock of rich black hair. He was short and slender, lost in the folds of his white robe. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark, round sunglasses. When he finished his recital, Veran asked:_

"_How did you know what I was reading?"_

"_I've been watching you for some time now." The boy replied. "The better question is this: Why did I choose that particular poem to recite?"_

_Veran cocked her head curiously to one side._

"_Who are you?" She asked him._

"_You can call me Monoite." The boy said. "Cryptic, I know, but also true. Everything here in Lus Reafetos is, really."_

"I don't understand." Veran confessed.

"_Of course you don't." Monoite flashed a smile. "That would defeat the purpose of being cryptic, don't you think?"_

_Veran's face was thoughtful._

"_But the very idea behind being cryptic means you want me to understand eventually." She pointed out._

"_Perhaps. It depends entirely on you. Do you want to understand?"_

_The boy called Monoite vanished before she could answer._


	25. Oct 6: You Knew Et Was Coming

"_Prove it." - Jonny_

_**October 6th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**You Knew It Was Coming**_

Artemis and Paingirl were already there waiting when Maverick carried the girl known as Project 23 down into the abandoned subway system beneath Jump City. Maverick smiled as his gaze fell upon a safe and unharmed Artemis, but he couldn't help but notice she didn't return it.

"Ashley!" Paingirl rushed forward, pulled Project 23 from Maverick's arms and enveloped her in a tearful hug. "I never thought I'd-" She stopped as she pulled back and looked at her face. Project 23's face was emotionless and she looked away into nothingness.

"Ashley!" Paingirl cupped her face. "It's me, Trish!" She tried to make Project 23 look at her to no avail. She sniffed and hugged her again. "What the hell did they do to you? Is my sister even in there anymore!" She began to hyperventilate.

Maverick put a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Your sister is still in there." He said comfortingly. "She's just...lost right now. That's all."

Paingirl looked up at him with wide, wet eyes, but then they flashed into two hard hazel agates. She shoved him down onto his butt.

"How do you know? Huh?" Her shoulders rose and fell and rose as she breathed.

Maverick shook his head.

"I don't." He admitted quietly. "I just hope, that's all."

"We can talk about it later." Artemis interjected herself into the moment. "Let's go." She walked by Maverick and didn't bother to help him up. He climbed to his feet and Artemis led the three of them into the waiting subway train. They took their seats and the train shot forward into the darkness.

Artemis peeled off her pointed eye mask. Taking his cue from her, Maverick reached for his own mask.

"No," Kelly stopped him. "Leave yours own."

"What for?" Maverick asked, but Paingirl interrupted him with a question of her own.

"Where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere safe." Maverick assured her. "Our boss is there. He'll be able to help you."

"Master." Kelly corrected him. "He's our master."

"I don't care about that." Paingirl said. She had reached across the aisle to hold her sister's hand, but Project 23...the Lostgirl...ignored her completely. "We just want to go home."

Maverick's head bowed at that. He had seen the newspaper article himself: Gemini had orchestrated an explosion at their home to kill their parents. He knew there was no home and no one for them to go to. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the face.

"We'll do what we can." He promised weakly.

The ride was quiet after that. Lostgirl rocked in her seat while Paingirl held her hand. Meanwhile, Kelly eyed the red slashes on Maverick's elbow and chest. She fidgeted and tried to ignore them, but finally should couldn't help but say: "Make sure you take care of those cuts."

Maverick brought a hand to his chest and winced at the touch.

"They look worse than they are." He said. "They just sting like crazy, is all." His face grew thoughtful. The day had been the most hectic of his life and only now did he have time to bring it into any semblance of order in his mind. They had done it. The two girls had been rescued and he and Kelly came out the other end in one piece. He smiled across the aisle at his friend.

"I reckon yesterday wasn't out last night together after all, huh?" He said.

Kelly stood up sharply at that. She turned his back on him and walked down the aisle.

"Kelly!" Maverick went after her. "What-?"

She shoved him to the floor, opened the door to the next car and slid it shut behind her. Maverick sat on the floor of the train, looking after her with a bewildered look on his face.

TTTTTTTTTT

Dr. Pytor Raskov stared in mild astonishment at the ruined museum room of Maryse Gemini's personal floor of the building. He walked across the room, carefully stepping over the shattered glass of a display case and casually stomped out a few smoldering flames still burning on the tattered curtains. He was startled when there came a bangbangbanging from inside the Egyptian sarcophagus nearby. The scientist cautiously opened the latch and Maryse burst out of it. She came stomping out and face shoved Dr. Raskov out of her way.

"I'll kill him!" She raged in her accent. "I want him dead! Now!"

"Who?" Dr. Raskov asked calmly.

"Slade, you idiot!" Maryse gestured. "I refuse to be disrespected like this! I want him taken care of!"

"Verilli's men have been tracking him ever since the first break-in, Miss Gemini." Dr. Raskov reminded her.

"Slade is too good for his goons. I'll have to deal with this myself." She rubbed her soft, pointed chin as she thought. "Slade and the Titans are connected at the hip. Slade's interest with me has put me on the Titans' radar and, as a result, Commissioner Walker's. They know something's going on and they're not going to stop until they find out...or until we stop them ourselves."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Dr. Raskov asked diffidently.

Maryse Gemini tapped her chin with her fingernail. She spied the metal 'S' emblem she had cleaved from Maverick's uniform. She picked it up, studied it and flipped it between her dainty fingers as she thought. After a long moment she smiled wickedly.

"Contact Verilli and CW." She ordered. "I'll take care of it all in one fell swoop."

There was a black strobe and Afreet and Druj appeared in the room. Druj was panting heavily and his shoulders shook. Patches of skin darkened and lightened and darkened and the red of his eyes expanded and detracted and expanded. He leaned on Afreet who struggled to hold him up. Afreet attempted to lead him across the room, but he nearly tripped on a displaced knight shield. He felt around with his feet, taking in the debris on the floor.

"What happened here?" He asked.

"Your brother happened here." Maryse said sourly.

Dr. Raskov was looking at Druj and took in his condition with a clinical eye.

"I assume you're here for the antidote?" He asked.

"Hurry, old man!" Afreet said. "I don't know how long he can fight if off!"

Dr. Raskov reached into his pocket and held up his grasped fingers. Afreet snatched at his hand only to realize he held nothing.

"Cute." Afreet growled. "Now give me the antidote, Raskov!"

"I think a man in my position deserved to be address with a bit more respect, wouldn't you say?" He noted.

Afreet had long since put his emotions away, yet he couldn't help but be irritated by the doctor's request. Afreet might be beyond goading, but that didn't mean he liked being deliberately put into a position of weakness. He looked up at his sweating and shaking brother and swallowed his pride.

"Please give me the antidote, Dr. Raskov." He said as neutrally as possible.

Dr. Raskov smirked, reached into his coat and dropped a vial of black liquid into Afreet's outstretched hand.

"There," he said. "Was that so hard?"

Afreet didn't answer. He quickly opened the vile and poured it into Druj's mouth. The effect was almost immediate. Druj's breathing evened out, his skin returned to its normal coloring and his red pupils shrank down.

Maryse was looking at them speculatively.

"If my plan is to work," she mused. "The two of you are going to need a wardrobe change."

The two brothers blinked at her, but Maryse ignored them. She turned to Dr. Raskov and continued.

"Oh," she added as nonchalantly as possible. "Restart Project Cadmus."

TTTTTTTTTT

Aquagirl's new friends were gathered on the main steps that led up to what was left of the front entrance of the Gemini Building. Surrounding them and blocking off the street were police cars, ambulances and a single firetruck. Geminibots didn't allow anyone to enter, but dozens of injured Gemini Guardsmen were brought out for the paramedics to tend to. A foul-mouthed man in a beret and battered coat – Robin had called him Commissioner Walker – stomped around the scene with a cigarette in his mouth and shouted orders at anyone who would listen.

"I don't care how much money the broad has!" He yelled at an adviser wearing a sharp, neat suit in stark contrast to his own rumpledness. "There's a crime scene in there, damnit, and I ought to have access to it! This is bullshit! That building has been the shady center of the city lately and I can't get in! I'm not letting Gemini and Slade and whoever the hell else is involved wage a private war in my city!"

Aquagirl leaned towards Raven, who was sitting on the hood of a police car nearby

"What's he talking about?" She asked her.

Raven shook her head and blinked distractedly at her.

"What?"

"What's going on here?" Aquagirl gestured.

Raven's eyes focused.

"It's hard to say." She told Aquagirl. "This is the second time Slade has attacked the Gemini Building this week. Something murky is going on here."

"Slade?"

"A terrorist," Raven explained. "Among other things. He's been a thorn in our side for years. He managed to take over the city once."

"Uber bad guy." Aquagirl nodded soberly. "Got ya." She looked up and shielded her eyes to look at the Gemini Building. "Why this place? What's so special about it?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out. Robin's especially stressed over it." She paused. "One thing's for sure: Gemini has a lot of secrets and strange things have been happening lately that they've had a hand in. You should know best of all."

Aquagirl cocked her eyebrow.

"I should?"

"Didn't Cyborg tell you?" Raven said. "The chemical at the bottom of the bay that mutated your DNA came from Gemini. Their logo was marked on the barrels."

"Right..." Aquagirl hummed. Her face suddenly brightened. "If Gemini experimented on me, then maybe-"

"I doubt it." Raven said. "If they were truly experimenting on you, I suspect they would have done it in the safety and privacy of one of their labs. I get the feeling it was all just a coincidence."

"Great." Aquagirl deflated. "So I'm just an accident."

"We're all accidents." Raven said in a monotone.

"Thanks, Raven." Aquagirl rolled her dark eyes. "We should put that on a motivational poster...right under a picture of a cat committing suicide."

Raven gave her a stern look. Then she laughed.

"How can you be so jovial?" Starfire levitated by in a near fetal position, fretting and chewing on her fingernails. "Oh, I do hope Cyborg is all right."

"Worrying about it isn't going to help, Starfire." Raven chided her.

Aquagirl guilty hadn't noticed her big metal friend was gone. Looking around more closely, there was someone else missing as well.

"Where's Beast Boy?"

TTTTTTTTT

Several blocks away, a green bloodhound sniffedsniffedsniffed at the ground, his jowls dragging. His search led him to manhole cover.

"Cyborg was right." He said to himself as he crouched over it in his elfin form. "They _always_ go in the sewers."

He used the strong arms of a gorilla to lift the heavy metal cover and flew down into the darkness as a bat. He found himself in a black, gleaming wet tunnel. He 'looked' both ways, trying to deduce which way Maverick and Project 23 had fled. He dropped with a plop into the water as a snake and fought off the animalistic urge to lash out at a nearby rat. He tasted the air with his tongue, twisting his reptilian head back in forth. He briefly turned into a dog to shake himself dry and then flew down the tunnel as a bat once more.

The tunnel came to a dead end, blocked off by a metal grate. Beast Boy went back to his elfin form and tentatively pulled at the grate. It didn't move. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spied a door nearly hidden in the shadows. It was covered with green, grainy mold, but he could see the hinges and handle were clear. It didn't take a detective to deduce that someone has recently used it.

He tried the handle, but the door was locked. That wasn't much of an obstacle. He transformed into a kangaroo, leaned back on his tail and kicked the door down with his powerful legs. The hallway beyond was dark, but just bright enough for Beast Boy to see with his human eyes. He made his way down it carefully and found another door at the end.

It opened up into an old subway station. Beast Boy immediately melted back down into a bloodhound and found the scent again. He followed it only a very short distance, however, when it disappeared at the train tracks.

Perhaps it was a case of habit or a product of his emotions at that point. But, for whatever reason, he chose his human form then. His normally clear skin was an angry red and his blonde hair was tousled. He paced up and down and up and down the platform. He lashed out a rusting garbage bin with an awkward kick. It clattered loud in the oppressive silence and rolled away meekly. Beast Boy sighed, the red of his feelings turning to blue. He all but fell to sit on the edge of the platform, his skinny legs dangling over the tracks.

It was happening again. Slade was the master of manipulating those around him to do his dirty work. First it had been Robin. Then Terra. Then Raven. Now there was at least one more. 'He helped me', he had said. Just as Terra had said. The line made Beast Boy sick. And now they were dragging another soul into his slimy world; an innocent-faced soul with big blue eyes and blonde hair. It made him think of Terra all the more. Beast Boy leaned his head back listlessly and closed his eyes.

His familiar train of thought verged off course. His dream – his _desire_ – for so long had been to restore Terra's memories. To bring her back to the person she was before. And yet now...he wasn't sure he wanted to. Slade's manipulations left scars behind. He had seen them. He had felt them. Perhaps it was for the best. Terra had never dreamed of being a superhero. The only thing she truly ever wanted was to live her life without hurting people. Beast Boy couldn't give her that life. He could, however, give her a life in which she only hurt one person.

He hung his head and looked down at his hands. As if his body was agreeing with him, he saw specs of green pigment emerging from his pink palms.

It seemed so stupid all of a sudden. What did he think would happen? That he would make the new Terra – Julia – fall in love with Garfield in the span of a few days? Or that he would somehow convince her to return to her old life? Maybe he hadn't expected either. Maybe he was just trying to be with her just a little longer. Or maybe yet...he was just trying to find a way to say goodbye.

He looked down at the green deep in his palms. Sometimes things just are. Unalterable and immutable. They exist in a vacuum of necessity...because they are necessary. But that's not always the case. Sometimes...

Things just change.

TTTTTTTTT

Maryse Gemini herself escorted Cyborg from her building. He was strapped loosely to an old-fashioned handcart, pushed by a pair of Gemini Guardsmen. Robin rushed up to him with the other Titans close behind.

"H-hey!" Robin shoved the paramedics and policemen and injured Gemini Guardsmen and anyone else in his way clear. "Get him off that thing! He's our friend, not some piece of luggage that needs to be moved!"

"Of course." Maryse purred. She gestured at her Gemini Guardsmen. "Boys?"

The two lackey's tilted the cart sharply forward, sending Cyborg falling. Robin managed to catch him, but the weight was too much for him. He sweat and struggled as his knees began to buckle. A support of black telekinesis helped hold him up until Starfire and Aquagirl got there to help him.

"You got some balls pulling a stunt like that!" Commissioner Walker was raging at a cool-faced Maryse Gemini. "I ought to bring you in on Reckless Endangerment charges! Let you sit your pretty little ass in a cell for a little bit!"

"That's where we differ, Commissioner." Maryse said. "You _don't_ have the _couilles_."

Commissioner Walker's face turned bright red.

"Why you rotten little-!" He lunged at her, but his men held him back. Maryse smiled all the while.

"You're starting to bore me." She said. "All of you. I think I'll have you replaced."

"Yeah," Commissioner Walker frothed. "I'd like to see that, skank!"

Maryse smirked.

"You would, wouldn't you?" She turned and reentered her injured building with her men behind her. When she was safely inside, a diasteel door slammed shut to cut them off.

Commissioner Walker controlled himself with great effort and turned to the Titans.

"Is Cyborg gonna be okay?" He asked them.

"Not sure." Robin said. He had been examining the half-robot while Starfire and Aquagirl held him up. Robin peered into his back panel with a small flashlight. "Nothing seems damaged, but his power is low. It looks like he shorted out." He frowned, mentally weighing his options. "We'll take him to Star Labs." He decided. "Dr. Sarah Charles will know what to do."

"That's a nice luxury." Walker said gruffly. "I wish I knew what to do right now."

"You could try talking to some of the Gemini Guardsmen that were taken to the hospital." Aquagirl suggested.

"Brilliant." Walker growled. "Except for the fact that they have absolutely no obligation to say anything to me." He looked at Robin. "Who's the new kid? Tell me you didn't hire her just because of that cute little suit."

Robin closed up Cyborg's back panel.

"Her name is Aquagirl." He said. "And she's not exactly a Titan...at least not yet."

"She was a big help in getting the office workers safely out of the building." Raven defended her.

Commissioner Walker looked at the normally reticent sorceress and then at Aquagirl.

"Sorry," he muttered lowly. "I'm a little _irritated_ right now. If you're gonna be a Titan, the first thing you should learn is that I can be a bitch sometimes. Don't take anything I say too seriously, jail bait."

Aquagirl smiled shyly at him. Then she did a double take.

"Did you just call me jail bait!" She asked incredulously.

"Sorry. I meant fish bait."

Aquagirl fumed.

"And you're right." The Commissioner went on. "Maybe I can get something out of one of those guards. It's worth a try, at least, and it sure as hell beats doing nothing." He looked at Robin. "What are you and your hormone squad gonna do?"

"We'll take Cyborg to Star Labs." Robin said. "It'll take a while for Gemini to hand over the surveillance tapes...after they've edited them, of course. I think I'll track down some of the cameras from the adjoining buildings, especially the parking garage there. Maybe they caught something that will help us."

"That's not much of a plan." Walker pointed out.

"I know, but it's all I've got right now." Robin looked up at the sky. "Something big is coming, Commissioner. The city is being threatened...and we don't even know what the threat is. Slade has reappeared with new apprentices and Maryse Gemini has her own agenda."

"There's more." Walker said. "Gemini's influence reaches further into the city than we think."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure yet." The Commissioner said. "But I have my best detective on the case."

TTTTTTTTTT

The Jump City Downtown Library was a quiet, somber brick building somewhere between the other government buildings and that invisible line that marked the poorer, more dangerous side of town. Holly stood in front of a table covered with strewn, crumpled newspapers with dozens of articles circled in red marker. Holly gnawed on the plastic tip of said marker, the gears in her head whirring and firing on all cylinders.

Marcus Verilli was an interesting man from what Holly could piece together of his life. His parents had migrated to America from Greece in the 1950s. He had grown up in Bludhaven and worked for a small time delivery agency since he was ten years old. He owned the agency at eighteen. From that point on, the company steadily grew. It soon became the biggest delivery agency in the city of Bludhaven. Holly couldn't help but notice his rival companies quietly closed up shop during the time. The agency eventually grew nationwide and, when he was thirty, Verilli sold it for a handsome profit and became a legitimate self-made millionaire. He moved from Bludhaven to Jump City almost before it was finished being built and built a mansion on the outskirts to – supposedly – settle down and start a family.

He was quiet for a few years after that. He made occasional charity donation and showed up at the high profile events of the rich and elite, but nothing more. And then, slowly, he carefully began to make political statements at said events. They started out subtle and grew stronger as time went by. He became a regular subject for the news networks talking heads. Then, six months ago, he officially announced his run for mayoral candidacy on an independent ticket.

Much more recently, his daughter had gone missing. He, of course, was bravely pushing forward with his political campaign.

On the outside, it seemed like the perfect story. A foreign kid coming to the land of prosperity, growing up poor and pulling himself up by his own boot strings to live the American dream of success and wealth. Now as a rich, aging family man suffering from a recent tragedy, he had decided it was his social obligation to give back by running for political office. It sounded perfect.

Too perfect, in fact. It wasn't hard for Holly to read between the lines. Even a generation ago, Bludhaven was a hell hole. There was only one way for a company to thrive in such a place: Violence. And from its growth, quite a lot of it. Money and blood went hand in hand in Bludhaven. Verilli must have bathed in it to be as successful as he was.

Not only that, but no one got rich with a delivery agency. Not in Bludhaven. The money, she was sure, had to do with _what_ it was delivering. Drugs, maybe. Or firearms or stolen goods. Maybe all of the above. Whatever it was, Holly was sure it was very much illegal. Verilli had been a crime lord in Bludhaven.

Holly couldn't prove it, of course. No evidence would exist; not with an operation that big. Verilli would have the Bludhaven cops in his pocket and probably more than a few government officials to help cover his tracks. Maybe it was the reason he was throwing his hat into the political ring now. He had seen the power those offices held firsthand.

The detective in Holly – _the cop_ in her – knew that a man like Verilli didn't retire. His move to Jump City simply meant he wanted a new city to ruin. It made sense. Jump City has existed for over a hundred years as a small town, but it was only recently that it became a sprawling metropolis. And Verilli had been there from the very beginning. He was able to take over the underground before the competition came into play.

Verilli had been quiet about it, staying off everyone's radar for years. Holly was almost impressed, though perhaps it was easy to be subtle when psychopaths and metahumans continuously ran wild in the city.

She wasn't sure where his missing daughter came into play. Perhaps it was a stunt to award him the sympathy vote or maybe a rival gang had targeted her. As of now, there was no way to know.

Holly's eyes roamed over the newspapers. Beneath a circled article dated five years ago was another Holly knew all too well. **Police Lieutenant's Wife Gunned Down**. Holly didn't bother reading on. She had read it so many times in the past that she could have probably recited it from memory. In an effort to push it away, she read the above Verilli article instead.

It was during Verilli's feeling out period when he was a surefire political sound byte. As he was walking on the red carpet of a movie premiere, a reporter had asked his thoughts on the recent Jump City crime wave.

"The police – God bless them – are going about it all wrong." Verilli was quoted as to saying. "For some reason, they feel some arrests are 'more important' than others. They want the big fish; they want to make the busts that will put them in the paper, you know? I say they should take care of what they see and not worry invisible puppet masters behind the scenes that they think will give them a new shiny badge if they find. I think all of us will be safer that way."

It was vague, to be sure. Even so, that last line burned into Holly's mind. She could feel the sinisterness of it emanate from the page.

At that time, Holly had been in her first year of police academy. She was optimistic about the future; optimistic about working with her dad. But her mother's death changed everything. Quite naturally, Holly wanted to drop everything and join her dad in solving the case, but her dad had obstinately refused. He never spoke about the case and went through special pains to withhold all information about it from her. The decision had been the center of the breakup of their relationship.

Holly had tried to put it behind her. She finished police academy with the highest marks of her class. Ignoring her dad, she had started the Hunter Detective Agency – using her mother's maiden name in her honor – in an attempt to help others like her. To solve the cases that meant everything. Somewhere in the shuffle, Holly had somehow pushed aside the one case that meant everything to her. But now here it was, staring her in the face.

She couldn't ignore it any longer.

TTTTTTTTTT

The final bell of the day was ringing when Beast Boy – as the white-skinned, blond-headed Garfield – arrived back at Murakami High School. The kids filed out of the school in a wave of buzzing, laughing, obnoxious, confident awkwardness. He looked over the crowd, trying to spy Julia.

That was a strange turn of thought. When had he stopped thinking of her as Terra? He didn't have time to put his finger on it, because at that moment he saw her walking into the courtyard of the school, flanked by two friends. Garfield started towards her, but someone caught his arm from behind.

"I wouldn't." Aeryn, the girl he had met that morning on the school's roof, told him. "She's really mad at you right now."

"Huh? What for?"

"You keep running out on her. Remember?" Aeryn tapped his forehead.

"I can't help that." Garfield said. "I have responsibilities-"

"You and I know that, but _she_ doesn't." Aeryn reminded him. "I tried to cover your tracks as best I could, but that kinda seemed to make her madder. I dunno why. I think sometimes women like to be mad and then they get pissed when you try to make them unmad when they don't _want_ to be unmad, ya know? I know sometimes when I'm in one of my moods-"

"Aeryn. Focus." Garfield said. "What did you tell her?"

"Oh! Right! I told her your mom had a medical condition and sometimes you had to take care of her, ya know? I was a little vague with the actual disease cuz I don't really pay attention to things like that and-"

"Of course she didn't believe you!" Garfield facepalmed. "She knows my parents are dead!"

"Ohhhhhhhhh...ouch. So sorry." She blinked. "About telling the wrong lie, I mean. Well, I guess I'm sorry about your parents, too, but that's not really what we're-hey, where are you going!"

"Julia!" Garfield shouted as he made his way through the crowd of students. "Julia! Wait up!"

Julia looked over her shoulder, sniffed and continued on, forcing Garfield to catch up with her.

"Julia! Wait!" Garfield squeezed through two football players to stumbled in front of her. "Let me explain!"

Julia and her two friends stopped.

"Okay," Julia tossed her head. "Aeryn can't cover for you this time. Why do you keep ditching me?"

Garfield opened his mouth to explain when he suddenly stopped. He looked around and realized all of this had happened before. When he had first found Terra at the school as Beast Boy, he had confronted her in this exact same spot. There was the fence and the sidewalk beyond it. The two girls were the same, looking at him with their friend's shared anger. He looked around, taking in the strange sense of deja'vu with a bemused, cold seriousness.

"Well?" Julia pressed him.

Garfield shook his head. He couldn't do this again. He had come full circle and he didn't have the heart to go around it again. He sighed sorrowfully.

"I'm have to go, Julia." He said. "I'm...changing schools. I'm sorry."

Some of the anger was drained from Julia's face.

"What about the science project?" She asked.

"To find the perfect organism? I can't help you with it." He smiled wistfully. "It should be easy for you, though. All you have to do is look in a mirror." He studied her face then, trying to commit every detail to memory. It was the last look of a broken lover. "Bye, Julia."

"Gar..." She said, but Garfield had already turned his back on her. He walked away and didn't look back. He turned onto the street and walked half a block before ducking into an alleyway. Garfield slid away, leaving behind Beast Boy. He leaned against the brick wall, slid down into a sitting position and buried his face in his hands.

"Hey! There you are! What the heck happened back-" Aeryn had followed him, but Beast Boy's brokenhearted form brought her up short. "Beast Boy..."

Beast Boy sniffed and wiped his wet face. He stood up, defiantly hugging himself.

"I'm okay." He said in a cracking voice. "I'm okay. I'm-" He couldn't bring himself to say it again. With a muffled wail he turned, clung to Aeryn, and cried into her shirt.

TTTTTTTTTT

The subway train pulled into the underground station that had been Maverick's home for the last week. He had become accustomed to the darkness and the moisture and the chill that never seemed to leave the cold concrete. In a morose way, he had actually grown to like it. It was hell compared to the open valleys and soaring mountains of northern Arizona, but in a way that's why he liked it; it was so different from what he was used to. There was a sense of satisfying melancholy there.

Still, Maverick knew just how uninviting a place it was. He remembered stepping out of the train for the first time and being met by the unwelcoming sight. He had to imagine the two girls he and Kelly had rescued must be feeling the same way. He wasn't sure Lostgirl was even capable of caring, but he could see in her sister's eyes that she had been expecting something very different.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He said to them. "Once we set a room up for the two of you, it'll feel like home in no time."

"We have a home." Paingirl told him, unconsciously pulling Lostgirl closer to her side. "Thanks for breaking us out and all, but we're not staying here."

"How very wrong you are." Slade emerged from the shadows. "Your house was burned to the ground and your parents were inside. You have nowhere else to go."

Maverick gasped at the brutal directness.

"Slade!" He snapped. "You didn't have to say it like that!"

"I'll say it however I wish, boy." He turned back to Paingirl and Lostgirl. "You work for me now. Why do you think I went through the trouble of sending these two after you, hm?"

Paingirl was obviously still trying to process his first claim.

"You're lying!" She shouted.

"I speak the truth." Slade intoned. "But honestly, it doesn't matter if you believe me or not. Your fate is the same either way. Now, Kelly."

Kelly came out of the subway train totting a machine rifle. She raised it and fired a volley at Paingirl and Lostgirl.

"No!" Maverick could do nothing but reach out his hand as he watched the energy shots slam into the sisters. They were somehow absorbed into their bodies and the two of them went down in an unconscious heap. Maverick crouched down next to them and checked on them. He saw the flutter in their throats and the rise and fall of their chests as they continued to breathe. He stood up and turned to Slade and Kelly in a rage.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded.

"Very special nanotech ammo." Slade said coolly. "The components cost a fortune and take weeks to properly assemble. They should be flattered."

Maverick's shoulders were quaking. His fists clenched and unclenched. Everything was falling apart around him. The moment of triumph had turned ugly. So ugly.

"This isn't right!" He yelled. "You didn't...you didn't even give them a choice! You're treating them like slaves!"

"That's because they are." Slade said it slowly for maximum effect. "If you don't like it, you can leave."

There was no hesitation. Jonny ripped off the Maverick mask and threw it at Slade's feet.

"I am leaving." He said. He pointed at Lostgirl and Paingirl. "And I'm taking them with me."

There was an indecipherable twinkle in Slade's single eye.

"I was so _hoping_ you would say that." He reached into his belt and extended his metal bo-staff.

Jonny's breath caught in his throat. He had seen Slade's training day in and day out. He knew he was outmatched. Adrenaline and fear pumped through him. There was a strange buzzing in his ears. He could almost hear Amber in his head, telling him to run. He looked over his shoulder at the helpless forms for Paingirl and Lostgirl.

_I'm sorry, Amber. I have to do this._

Jonny hummed and pointed a finger. A bolt of electricity shot out in a blue, sparking stream. Slade leaped over it faster than Jonny's eyes could follow and landed silently behind him. He stood there back to back until his former apprentice noticed him. He blurred his staff at Jonny's head. Jonny ducked in a stumble. He braced his feet and conjured a flame spear, only for it to be split down the middle by Slade's staff and followed by a kick to the chest. Jonny went down hard to the concrete ground.

Slade put away his staff and flicked his eye at Kelly.

"Finish it." He ordered.

Kelly stepped forward, cracking her knuckles.

"Kelly...!" Jonny gasped. He crabwalked back under her advance and made it to his feet.

Kelly stalked him inexorably. Her pretty face was cold and her doe eyes were hard. She leaned forward determinedly and her hair fell down into her face. The pink streak there was somehow dull and lifeless.

Memories flashedflashedflashedflashed through his head as he watched Kelly come closer and closer. He saw her sitting across from him in the diner, smiling at him around the straw of her orange juice. He saw her laughing merrily at him on the subway train and her calm, sleeping face on his chest. He saw the fiery competition in her eyes, the grace of her basketball jump shot and the yellow street light gleaming off her sweaty, breathless body. He heard the taptaptap of her typing fingers in the internet cafe when she helped him send an email home. He felt the warmth of her body as they danced on a neon lit rooftop. He saw the contemplation in her pursed lips and the concentration in her creased brow as she drew a picture with such detail that it took his breath away. As Artemis he saw the fierce, feral righteousness of her bared teeth when she smashed apart one of Slade's training robots that had dared to try to hurt him. But most of all, he saw the pure, unadulterated joy and wonder take over her as she levitated with him on a blanket of wind during the underground training exercise.

Jonny dropped his hands to his side and made no move to avoid Kelly's punch.

WHAM!

He slid across the ground up to his shoulder blades and then flipped over. He stood up quicker than he expected. There was pain, but it was nowhere near what it should have been. He was relatively unhurt. Jonny realized then that, despite her heartless exterior, she had pulled her punch. She didn't _really_ want to hurt him. Hope fluttered in his heart.

"Kelly-" He tried to say, but she cut him off by forcing him to dodge a followup punch.

"Fight me!" She said between grit teeth.

Jonny backpedaled into a stone pillar. He jerked away from another punch. That one, he saw, had been serious. The blow had taken out a chunk of stone.

Kelly charged forward and gripped the front of his leather chestpiece with both hands. She stompedstompedstomped across the long platform and threw him bodily into the second subway train. Each car had been cleared out and furnished into rooms, including the bedroom the two of them had shared.

Jonny crashed into the rigged room Slade had used to put him under for the nanotech infusion. He was slammed through the medical bed and a cabinet tipped over, spilling medical supplies into the floor. Kelly was on him in an instant, reaching down and grabbing him again. He tensed for an attack that never came.

"Come on!" She whispered. "We have to get to the front of the train." She jerked him up and shoved him into the next car.

"You're turn." She said. "Do it!"

Jonny chanced a glance out of the window and could see Slade's silhouette facing them from across the way. He ran at Kelly and lowered his shoulder as they came together. The fell in a tangle of limbs and tumbled into the next car.

They found themselves in the room they had shared. They rolled past the dresser where Jonny had stashed the picture of himself with his siblings for Kelly and past the bed where they had slept.

Kelly won their faux wrestling match, picked him up by the throat and carried him through the bathroom and the car beyond. They traded off, steadily making their way to the front of the train. When they finally made it to the head car, Kelly pushed forward the throttle lever the subway train chugged forward out of Slade's line of sight. Both Kelly and Jonny sat down in the cramped driver's room, their legs tangled together as they faced each other.

Jonny head was still swimming. He wasn't sure what had just happened.

"Kelly," he panted her name earnestly in a mixture of both physical and mental fatigue. "You knew, didn't you? The whole time?"

Kelly looked at him for but a moment before hanging her head. She couldn't meet his betrayed blue eyes.

"I knew his plans for the Gemini girls." She admitted. "And I knew after he had them...he wouldn't need you anymore."

"All that stuff about breaking the law to protect people-"

"He was playing you, Jonny. The whole time."

Jonny closed his suddenly wet eyes.

"And so were you." He said in a dead voice so lifeless it sounded like somebody else talking.

Kelly grasped his chin.

"Look at me, Jonny." She said it firmly. She went on when Jonny squinted at her. "I admit I deceived you. I knew what was coming. But..." She breathed in deep. "It wasn't all an act, ya know? I really did...really do...care for you."

Jonny looked at her bitterly.

"Prove it."

And she did. She hooked him by the back of the neck and pulled him in for a hard, long kiss. Jonny was gasping when she let go of him. They gazed at each other and, slowly, the trust returned.

Jonny thought back to what the green Titan – Beast Boy – had told him. Everything the hero had said about Slade was true and he had been too blind to see it.

"You're too good for this, Kelly." He said. "Why do you stay with Slade?"

"I don't have a choice."

"Kelly, you-"

"No," she cut him off. "I _really_ don't have a choice. Today...today wasn't the first time Slade has target the Gemini Building. It's where he stole our nanotech. But before that, he developed nanotech of his own. That nanotech is inside me right now, in my bloodstream. Slade pushes a button and those nanoscopic probes will attack me from the inside out. If it goes on long enough...it'll kill me."

Jonny stared at her in horror.

"He's using them to make you-"

"His slave." Kelly finished grimly. "Just like he'll use them to enslave the Gemini girls."

Jonny shook his head, trying to absorb that.

"Why not me?" He asked suddenly as the thought came to him. "Why didn't he put those things...those nanoscopic probes...why didn't Slade put them in me?"

"There was no need. He knew you were only temporary."

Jonny nodded slowly.

"So, what do we do now?"

"_We_ don't do anything." Kelly said. "_You_ need to go home and be with your family. That's where you belong."

"Darlin', you're crazy if you think I'm leaving you and the others trapped with Slade. Ain't. Gonna. Happen."

The driver's console beeped above them. Kelly stood up and pulled back on the throttle. There was a mechanical whine as the train slowed and eventually came to a stop. Kelly walked back into the next car.

"I'll go get help." Jonny said as he followed her. "We'll come back and-"

Kelly pushed him out of the train and onto the new platform.

"You don't get it, do you?" She talked down to him. "You can't save me, okay? And I'm not asking you to! All I want is for you to save yourself." She knelt down next to him. "You're going to get your stuff, Jonny. I'm going to kiss you goodbye. Then you're going to leave and never come back. Because if you do, Slade is going to make me fight you and that time it'll be for real. Do you understand?"

"I can't do it, Kelly." Jonny sat up. "I'm not gonna let you play the martyr here!"

"Yes, you will." Kelly said it with chilling conviction. "Because you can't stop me." She went back to the train and opened the door to what had once been their bedroom. She threw his duffel bag out onto the platform and, a moment later, set his guitar case down beside it. Last of all she laid Jonny's long cattleman's coat out.

"That's everything." She said. She clicked a button on her belt and the train slowly moved forward. She stepped onto it and turned to block the door.

"Kelly! Stop!" Jonny tried to charge his way onto the train, but Kelly caught him. She hugged him tight as the train picked up speed.

"Goodbye, Jonny." She said in his ear. She kissed his cheek softly and Jonny felt her tears on his face. She tossed him back out onto the platform. The train whizzed into the darkness before Jonny could even think about getting up.

Silence. It was so quiet. Jonny found himself alone again. He leaned back uncaringly and looked up at the dark, dripping ceiling. He didn't think as much as felt, trying to absorb everything that had happened to him. He didn't know how long he laid there with the feel of Kelly's bittersweet sadness on his face. Minutes or days or years, it didn't' matter.

At length he sat up. He fumbled through his duffel bag, ignored the box of nicotine patches altogether and went straight for his cigarettes. He lit one quickly and breathed in sweet death. He paused as he breathed out smoke. In his search, he realized he had felt something in his bag that didn't belong. He reached into it again and brought out a loose piece of paper. He squinted through the darkness at it, then flicked on his lighter to see.

It was an exquisite drawing; a self-portrait of Kelly. Artemis loomed big in the picture with her mask and bow. She was in the pose of a warrior and her face was unfeeling and emotionless. And there in her dark shadow was Kelly, her knees pulled up to her chest and her crying face in her hands.


	26. Present: Yet Anotherowait

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Yet Another-owait**_

The sky above the mountain ranch darkened to gray. Jonny stopped his storytelling and his wood chopping to look up at it with a trained, appraising eye. He set aside his ax and, breathing hard, sat down on the gnarled stump he had been using as a chopping block. He looked tiredly at the big blue eyes of his daughter, her face lost as her imagination brought his story to life inside her mind.

"Well," he drawled lowly. "Aren't you gonna say 'I told you so'?"

Melody kicked the ground with her boot.

"I don't want to now." She said. She paused and went on tentatively. "Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?"

Jonny looked at her in surprise. He tried to hide it, then laughed ruefully when he knew it was too late to do so.

"How did you get so smart?" He asked her. "I know it didn't have anything to do with me."

"Dad!"

There was a distant whine of an engine. Across the valley a rider on a dirt bike rolled towards them, the high grass parting and billowing around her as she passed.

"There's Yumi." Melody pointed.

"You've just about given her your bike now, ain't ya?" Jonny observed.

"Yeah. Ever since you gave me that badass guitar I don't really need it anymore."

"Melody!" Jonny said it sternly.

"Sorry!" Melody rolled her eyes. "Do you expect me to say 'badbutt'? That sounds so lame."

"You could say 'cool'." Jonny suggested. "Or 'frosty'."

"Nobody says that anymore, dad."

Jonny let that pass.

"Looks like a storm is coming." He said instead. "Why don't you wait for Yumi and then come inside before the rain hits? I'll fix up something to eat and we'll go on with the story."

The wind picked up as Jonny sauntered back inside. The place in which Melody had grown up was larger than the word 'log cabin' might suggest. It was a cozy, two-story home with frosted windows and a yawning fireplace. He slid open the glass door and walked into the kitchen. He turned on the oven and put a raw, red roast into a pan. He washed his hands and sat down with the pan at the table, cutting up vegetables and throwing them in along with it.

He looked out the window as he worked. Melody and Yumi stood by the woodshed together. Yumi nodded enthusiastically as Melody talked to her excitedly with big, animated gestures.

Jonny smiled. He was thankful to Yumi. He had long felt guilty for isolating Melody so completely from the world, even if it was absolutely necessary. When he and Melody first moved there, he assumed they would be alone on the mountain. He had been surprised to find a single mother and her daughter living nearby. It worried him at first, but Zillah – Yumi's mother – was even more secretive than him. No one lived this far back in the mountains unless they had something to hide. Zillah didn't ask and neither did he.

Yumi had quickly become Melody's best friend. They spent nearly every waking moment together. Their bond had moved past friendship over the years and had moved closer to something akin to sisterhood. Jonny was happy she had been able to grow up with someone her own age.

Yumi was a sweet, polite girl with dark pigtails and even darker eyes. She insisted on calling him Mr. Johnson despite his millions of objections. She was quiet and observant and had an uncommon amount of common sense. She was a great foil to his own daughter who could be more than a little reckless. Jonny suspected Yumi's cool head had kept them out of trouble more than once.

A sudden pain shot through Jonny's right hand. He set down the slicing knife and, knowing it was a futile gesture, rubbed his wrist and forearm through his wince anyway. He clicked a hidden button near his palm and his arm from the elbow down detached with a mechanical hiss.

Even after all these years, the phantom pain still came and went. There was nothing there to feel pain, but something deep inside him still hadn't realize it. He put aside the life-like mechanical hand and looked below his elbow. His flesh might be gone, but what used to be his hand could still be seen. It was hazy and transparent, but it was there.

The ghost hand.

Jonny started when the sliding glass door opened. Melody and Yumi had sneaked up on him. Melody glanced at her father's detached prosthetic.

"Is your arm hurting again?" She asked worriedly.

"It's fine." Jonny said dismissively even as he clicked it back into place. He looked at her friend. "Howdy there, Yumi."

"Hi, Mr. Johnson." She replied.

Jonny let that go without comment. He put the roast in the oven and sat back down.

"I'm assuming Melody filled you in on the story so far." He said.

"Yes, sir."

"So now you're free from Slade and the Undergrounders." Melody said. "_Now_ you join the Titans, right?"

"Not quite." Jonny smiled. "I had one more little adventure first."

There was a crack of lightning, making them all jump. The silence in its wake felt significant and then the rain came.

"Now, where were we?"


	27. Oct 6: Let's Go Fenrir

"_Things are always harder when you're different." - Cyborg_

_**Let's Go Fenrir**_

_**October 6th**_

_**Evening**_

During the day the Jump City air had been chilly; it had turned downright cold when night fell. Jonny, changed out of his Maverick uniform, was bundled up in his cattleman's coat and hunched over beneath the brim of his cowboy hat. He walked the streets of Jump City aimlessly, his soul as numb as his hands. His duffel bag was slung over one shoulder and he carried his guitar case at his side.

Jonny had nowhere to go and nowhere to stay. He had forty dollars to his name, given to him by the kind lady and her friend he had helped out the first day he arrived in the city. He ignored his growling stomach. He hadn't eaten since the early morning, but he had more important things to worry about. At the very top of the list was where he would stay the night. He tried various apartment buildings and motels, but all of them were out of his price range.

The motel he eventually found was so rundown and impoverished that the only way to improve it would be to demolish the damn thing. Jonny handed his money over to a greasy-faced clerk that eyed him up and down suspiciously and, on the second floor balcony, ran into a skinny waif of a woman with a short dress and a world-weary face.

"Wanna have some fun?" She asked him.

"Um...n-no thanks, ma'am." Jonny quickly scurried by her, but there was no need. The woman was already ignoring him.

Jonny's hotel room was dingy, dirty and small. There was a tiny bathroom, a stale bed that made Jonny's skin crawl by just looking at it and a small, broken television that was older than he was.

Sleep was an impossibility. Jonny lay fully clothed above the blankets, his jacket draped over him to keep him warm in the heatless room. It might have been his persistent hunger or the cold or the strange bed or the constant, faint buzzing in his ears he hoped was a bug zapper that was keeping him awake...but it wasn't.

Jonny's insomnia had started over a month ago when Amber died. He couldn't help it. Every time the world grew quiet and dark he was assaulted by his thoughts and memories and regrets. He couldn't excuse or dismiss or forget the guilt, so it had nowhere to go. It stayed with him always. It wasn't until the morning sun came could he get up and face the day and do things that would preoccupy his mind and let him finally think about something else.

But he had slept like a baby for the last week. Jonny winced at that turn of thought and turned over uncomfortably. For as long as he had slept next to Kelly, the insomnia had vanished. The guilt was still there – it always would be – but there was something about her presence that softened it. With her it was a scar he wore; without her it was a gushing wound. But now she was gone, too.

Jonny closed his eyes, trying more for rest than sleep. Amber, Kelly and Melody. The three women in his life were out of his grasp and even the sandman refused to visit. He sighed, lit a cigarette and continued to think and remember and think and regret.

TTTTTTTTTT

"_I think it's time for you to wake up now."_

"_What time is it?"_

"_You've been offline for several hours."_

"_Offline? What happened?"_

"_Your circuits overloaded and shut themselves down as a safety precaution. Can you get up?"_

"_I don't know. I can try."_

"Hey! I think I saw him move!"

"_Very good. A little at a time now."_

"Are you sure?"

"Look! There it is again!"

"_Who are you?"_

_Reactivation protocol._

_Rebooting primary programs._

_5%_

_25%_

_31%_

_47%_

_62%_

_88%_

_99%_

_I433789678N98-_

Cyborg's red eye flashed...flashed...flashed... and then glowed steadily. He groaned, rubbed his head and sat up.

"Cyborg!" The shout came in stereo. His friends and teammates hovered around him with concerned faces

Cyborg blinked at them.

"Did I choose a bad time for a nap?"

"Oh, Cyborg!" Starfire nearly rung his head like a titanium bell as she hugged his neck. "We were most worried!"

"I'm okay, Starfire." He assured just as soon as his eyes stopped pinballing and the world stopped spinning.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings. He was in Star Labs, in Dr. Sarah Charles' homey work area. At first he thought she was absence, but then he saw her standing unobtrusively near the door. She didn't want to interject herself on Cyborg's reunion with his family.

"_Look at her. She doesn't consider herself a part of your intimate circle of friends. It's obvious. You're a patient to her. Nothing else."_

Cyborg wanted to argue, but he couldn't. In that moment he saw with stark clarity that it was true. Sarah had helped him so much and, in the past, had been the only friend he had when everyone else abandoned him. But, in the end, she was just a friendly doctor. Their relationship was just a professional obligation.

"Cyborg," Robin said it in such a way that he knew the Boy Wonder was repeating himself. "What happened?"

The memories and order of events hit Cyborg like a wave. He remembered entering the Gemini Building and battling his way downward. He remembered entering the mainframe computer station and opening the center pod. There was a hiss of smoke; a girl's face; a desperate plea for help; her hand in his...

"_You're her, aren't you?"_

"_Don't tell them yet. I'm not ready."_

Cyborg hesitated. There was a strange compulsion to obey. She was inside him and, with a link that close, he couldn't help but feel a bond between them. He took in a deep breath.

"I don't really remember." He tried to convince himself it wasn't exactly a lie. "It's all hazy."

The white eye slits of Robin's mask narrowed. It was a look of intense thought and probing, as if he could look inside a person on sheer will alone and ferret out his secrets. Cyborg had seen the look many times before. It was a gaze that made criminals tremble.

Cyborg wasn't a criminal. He stared back at his friend coolly, as steady as a rock. Robin stopped his silent assault and nodded.

"We're just glad you're okay." He said.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy piped up. "Who would challenge me in Gamestation if you weren't around?"

"_He's in pain."_

Cyborg looked closer at his friend. He had abandoned the blonde Garfield form and instead chose his regular, green elfin self. His comment had been jovial, but his voice had an unusual flat undertone to it. Cyborg couldn't help but notice his eyes looked a little red and underneath was dark and puffy. Cyborg made a note to talk to him one-on-one later.

Raven briefly stepped away from the group to thank Dr. Charles.

"_There's something wrong about her, too."_

"_Who? Raven? You just have to know her."_

"_I do know her. Your databanks are my databanks."_

Raven, feeling Cyborg's eyes on her, turned to him. Cyborg expected a subdued or sarcastic comment, but received a soft smile instead.

"_Robin and Starfire aren't right, either. Robin is hiding a deep hurt and Starfire is afraid."_

"_How do you know all this?"_

The keen, analytical voice inside him didn't reply.

"_What about Aquagirl?"_

Cyborg looked at her then. He wasn't sure if it was subconscious or if the person inside him had prodded him into doing so. She stood next to Raven, smiling as well.

"_She's as lost as ever, but she seems happy. Now start using your own eyes and stop using me as a mood ring."_

Cyborg swiveled his legs off the medical table and stood up. He waved his arms and stamped his feet, making sure everything was in working order.

"Let's go home." He smiled.

"Wonderful!" Starfire said as they all filed through the door. "I shall make a non-vomit-inducing Terran meal for us!"

"Can it be a veggie meal?"

Cyborg lingered behind until he was along with Sarah.

"Thanks for all your help, Sarah." He said to her.

"I hardly did anything." She brushed aside his praise. "All you needed was a reboot, after all."

"I meant...everything, you know? Everything you've done over the years for me. I really appreciate it."

"That's why I'm here, Victor." The pretty scientist said. "It's what I do. It's always nice to work on my favorite patient."

Cyborg nodded slowly. That's what he was: Her favorite patient and nothing more. It was time to live with that.

"Bye, Sarah."

"Goodbye, Victor."

TTTTTTTTTT

A man of my talents should never step foot into Bludhaven. Cities like that have a way of getting people in my profession killed. It's not the danger or the crime lords or the gang violence or the after dark martial law. It's because everything is so damn _easy. _There's no need for skill or style in such a place. Only brutality.

There are thousands of dossiers and case files in my head. I remember all of them. Every letter. Every detail. It's what I do. The newest is Veronica Sinclair, a.k.a. Roulette. Female. Thirty four years old. Black hair. Blue eyes. Dragon tattoo on her back. Trained martial artist. Arrested for running an illegal no-halt cage fighting operation. Thought to have connections with the Legion of Doom.

I don't know why Maryse Gemini wants her. She didn't tell and I didn't ask. I could guess, but I won't. I don't care. I never do. It's one of the reasons why I'm considered the best.

This job is below me. Any clown with a gun and half a thimble of logical thinking could do it. But, at my heart, I'm an entrepreneur. Ms. Gemini came up with the right price, so here I am.

Under normal circumstances, I would take several days to do this job. I like to be thorough. My employer, however, is the impatient sort. She wanted the operation done in hours, not days. I really hate this. Sloppy work is habit forming.

Still, it was an easy job. The BPD is corrupt through and through. It was a simple task to find an officer going off duty and acquiring his uniform. It was less of a hassle to pay him off than anything more direct. A dead man can be found and an unconscious one can wake up at the most inopportune of times. A paid man, however, can usually be counted on to immediately go off to spend his new money.

The payoff can sometimes be a tricky business. You'll be laughed at and shunned if you pay too little and you'll be suspicious if you pay too much. It's usually best to lowball and let the target's haggling point you in the right direction.

Some in my profession like to wear masks. I prefer a more subtle approach. A mask might conceal your identity, but you'll instantly be recognized as someone who doesn't want to be recognized. With a good disguise, however, one can become virtually invisible to the average eye with the same amount of security.

Most cities keep their prisons as far away as possible, putting them out in the countryside. Bludhaven Penitentiary is in the center of the city, right in the heart of downtown. It's almost like Bludhaven was built around it. In many ways it was and still is.

I don't care.

When planning a prison break, many would come up with something flamboyant, cute, complicated and sure to attract attention.

I walked through the front door, just as any other policeman would.

There's more to a disguise than clothes and wigs and makeup. It take rhythm, confidence and a complete understanding of the the human psyche. On one hand, you have to believe you really are who you're pretending to be. On the other, you must never lose focus of your objective. It's a very fine line to walk. But I'm not nervous. It's a line I've walked many times before.

I pretended to forget to sign in at the front desk. I came back and smiled at the male receptionist, feigning ignorance to his look of suspicion. I allowed my hand to linger on his as he passed me the pen. He was immediately uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to get rid of me. He unlocked the security door behind him and waved me through quickly. People are easy to manipulate.

Prisons are the same the world over. Some have better conditions than others, but they all feel the same: Claustrophobic, cold stone and iron bars. The technology is better here in America with their influx of metahumans, but it all amounts to the same thing. I don't particularly like prisons and I've never had occasion to stay in one for very long.

The prison guard on duty was a sloppy, slovenly man that was apparently economical enough to use his untucked shirt as a napkin.

"Prisoner transfer." I told him. I had an officious-looking file beneath my arm, but I didn't bother to show it to him. It was for appearances only. He didn't want to see it.

"It's a little late for a prisoner transfer, isn't it?" He suggested greasily. His tone wasn't suspicious, only greedy.

There's no need for subtlety in Bludhaven. I simply handed him a few dollar bills. He licked his finger, quickly counted it and shoved them into his shirt pocket.

"Which prisoner?" He asked, already fumbling with his ring of electronic key cards.

"Number 812." I said. "Veronica Sinclair."

"Roulette, huh? You better be careful with her. She's a feisty one."

He handed me the key card and I didn't bother to answer. We both had what we wanted. The prisoners and I ignored each other as I walked down the aisle of cells.

Roulette was dressed in the mandatory, dull gray jumpsuit. She stood on her hands in the center of her cell doing upright push-ups. I could respect the discipline it must take to stay in top physical conditioning in such a small space.

That didn't mean I had to like her. I tapped the cell bars with my police baton.

"Let's go, Roulette." I used the harsh, uncaring voice of a prison guard. "Prison transfer."

She gracefully vaulted to her feet and glared at me.

"Transfer to where?"

"Don't worry about it. Turn around and bring your hands over here."

She did as she was told, sticking her hands through the rectangular slot so I could handcuff them behind her back. With her suitably restrained, I opened the cell door and brought her out. I led her down the aisle, one hand on her shoulder and the other grasping the chain of the handcuffs. The job was almost over.

But I had forgotten one very important thing. No job – no matter how long or well its been planned or executed – goes off without a hitch. Something always goes wrong. Sometimes it's so small that you barely notice it.

Sometimes it's not.

Roulette suddenly dove forward, kicking me with both feet in reverse. She rolled to her feet, took two quick steps and flipped forward in stride. When her feet hit the ground again, her bound hands were in front of her. I cursed and chased after her.

For a moment, I almost thought the guard I had bribed wouldn't see her as inept and distracted as he was, but I should have known better.

"Breakout!" He shouted after a double-take. "We got-"

He didn't even get to his feet before Roulette kicked him into oblivion. Still, it was enough time to put the prison guards at the entrance on notice. A moment later a siren wailed out and red lights flashed everywhere.

Even with Roulette handcuffed, the three guardsmen at the entrance didn't stand a chance. She cartwheeled across the desk, kicking two of them in the process. The third one raised a pistol, but she was already on him. She grabbed his wrist, wrapped the chain of her handcuffs around it and judo flipped him to the floor. She ran on just as another guard entered the room from the far doorway. He whipped out his pistol and aimed it at her unprotected back. He was a fast draw.

I was faster. I pulled out my electric rod. Electricity arced out and zapped him across the room. He pulled the trigger on reflex, but the bullet harmlessly hit the floor.

Outside was chaos. The alarms kept blaring. I could hear cars engines revving and doors slamming and footsteps stomping. This job had gone to hell and the window of opportunity was quickly closing. Roulette sprinted across the courtyard, flipping and handspringing to avoid the volley of ricocheting gunshots from the guard towers. She jerked open the door of a police truck and scrambled inside.

I reached the truck just as she mashed the gas. The tires screeched as I leaped up and clung to the back doors. I let myself in and made my way to the passenger seat. Roulette did a double-take and arced her heel at my chin even as she drove. I caught the strike and shoved it away.

"Stop that!" I growled. "I'm here to help you."

"What?"

"I was hired to break you out of there."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Roulette demanded. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Crimson Wolf." I told her.

"W-wait! _The_ Crimson Wolf!"

I didn't bother to answer and studied the rear-view mirror instead. There would be a pursuit, but it would be too slow to be a threat. The moment Roulette drove us through the main gate and into downtown Bludhaven, I knew we were safe.

I hadn't counted on the more exotic form of American law enforcement. The vigilante landed with a loud thud on the hood of the truck, peering at us angrily from beneath his mask. It was theatrical, I'll give him that. It was more than enough to make us jerk back in surprise.

It was also very stupid. Roulette turned the steering wheel hard to the right, taking us down an alleyway. The vigilante, with nothing to hold on to, tumbled off the hood. I heard the crash and rattle as he fell into a group of trash cans.

Roulette caught her breath.

"That was easy enough." She said. But before she could finish the sentence, a grappling hook embedded itself into the back of the truck. A moment later the vigilante burst through the rear doors like a shadowy wraith. His costume, I was sure, was designed with that in mind. A fearful opponent is a defeated one. But I wasn't a common hood and I wasn't afraid. The vigilante made a grab for Roulette, but with uncanny agility she lifted her leg over her shoulder to kick him away.

"Keep driving." I ordered her. "I'll handle this."

I stood up and stepped into the open space behind the front seats. It was near black in the truck and the vigilante's dark costume made it feel as if I was fighting a shadow.

I've fought worse.

His first strike told me all I needed to know. It was a strong, educated punch. The mechanics were all in order. Even so, it was a sloppy, untactful blow. This fighter sought to overpower his foes; it was the tactic of a man used to fighting those weaker and less skilled than himself.

I blocked the punch and traded blows with him in the narrow space. There was a passion about him. He put all of his strength and determination and emotion into each attack. I deflected again and again, feeling him out. He was very good, but there were too many inconsistencies in his technique. He would grow tired and he would make a mistake.

Then I would finish him.

Roulette made a sharp turn, throwing me off balance. The vigilante hit me with a punch high on the left cheekbone. It was as powerful as the first, but badly aimed. The strike was painful to be sure, but it had done no real damage. I stumbled into the back of Roulette's seat. The vigilante rushed at me, not bothering to protect himself in an effort to finish me off. I put my feet into his chest, shoving more than striking. He stumbled back and fell out of the back of the truck. He reached up at the last second and grabbed the top of the creaking open doors.

It was over. He dangled helplessly over the blurring concrete. I took my time in reaching for my electric rod and aiming it at him. But I underestimated him. Just as the electricity discharged, the hero jerked up and climbed onto the roof. I took two steps, gripped the safety bar inside the truck and vaulted up after him.

The bright night beneath the street lights changed everything. I was no longer fighting a shadow. I could see my opponent much more clearly. The 'R' on his chest immediately identified him as the hero Robin, but he was different from the Robin I was familiar with. He was bigger and bulkier than the hero I knew. His eyemask was thicker and his costume was darker. There was no yellow to be seen and there was more black then red. His head was covered by a black cowl and his cape was much longer.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The red and black vigilante took two nunchaku that hung from his utility belt and twirled them in a whirl around himself. It was a little over dramatic, but the skill was unmistakable.

"I'm Red-Robin. I'm cleaning up this town." He said it coldly, but I could hear the anger in his voice. I could feel his hate.

He attacked and we danced around each other on the roof. He was suddenly a different fighter. The nunchaku flashed nearly faster than I could follow. He was no longer trying to knock me out or incapacitate me. His strikes were at best meant to maim; at worst they were meant to kill. I suddenly realized I was in real danger and, admittedly, even a little afraid.

But only a little. For most, fear is a disadvantage. For someone like me, it's merely a catalyst.

Red-Robin jumped back to avoid an electric shot from my rod. He teetered for only a moment before planting his feet and jabbing his fingers into my throat. I painfully caught a nunchaku on my arm as I tried to recover, but the second one connected solidly with my ribs. I lost my air and fell onto the cab of the truck. I dodged and Red-Robin's nunchaku left a long crease in the metal body where I had been just a moment before. I kicked his legs out from under him and, before he could fall, I shoved him off the roof of the truck.

That should have been it, but he was persistent. A grappling hook wrapped around one of the exhaust pipes that rose from the cab of the truck. Red Robin hit the road, took two long strides and leaped into the air. His black cape billowed out and then locked, lifting him into the air. He trailed behind us like a parasailor. I watched calmly as he grit his teeth and pulled himself hand over hand back towards the roof. I let him get halfway before I negligently touched my electric rod to his grappling cable.

The shock forced the vigilante to let go and his cape went limp. He floundered and crash landed onto the roof of a parked car. He wouldn't be interfering again. With him gone, I lifted my shirt and carefully examined the huge bruise already forming along my ribs.

Some jobs are easier than others.

TTTTTTTTTT

The main room of Titans Tower was normally a buzzing, bustling place, full of sound and energy as most teenage hangouts are. But tonight it was quiet; subdued even. No music was playing. There was no mashing of video game controllers and the television remained switched off. There was only the occasional mouse click and clattering of keys as Robin browsed the crime computer.

On the futon along the wall, Raven and Aquagirl sat together.

"You did well today." Raven was congratulating her, keeping her voice quiet to preserve the mood of the room.

"I didn't really do anything." Aquagirl said.

"You protected my back." Raven pointed out. "And you saved a lot of people. You should be proud of yourself."

Aquagirl smiled.

"So..." she said it tentatively. "Am I like a Teen Titan now?"

"It used to be that easy." Raven said with surprising openness. "But...we've been burned by new recruits before. I'm afraid it's going to be a slow process."

"Yeah. Robin didn't exactly give me a ringing endorsement when the commissioner guy asked about me."

"We don't give out our trust as easily as we used to, and Robin's the worst of us. It will take some time for you to earn it, but I have no doubt that you will."

Aquagirl looked at her speculatively.

"You trust me, don't you, Raven?"

The dark sorceress smiled and put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Yes, I do."

Cyborg had subtlety been watching the two of them from the couch.

"I can't believe how close those two are." He remarked to Beast Boy.

The green changeling sat next to him on the couch, being uncharacteristically still and quiet. His head was down and his eyes were lost in thought. He shook himself out of his reverie.

"What two?" He asked.

"Raven and Aquagirl. Look at them." Cyborg gestured with his head. "It's only been a couple days, but they act like they've been friends for years."

Beast Boy peered over the couch at the two girls and watched as they giggled together at whatever they happened to be talking about. He blinked and did a double-take.

"Um..." He hummed. "Isn't that a little...I dunno..._out of character_ for Raven?"

"That's my point. She actually looks-"

"Happy." Beast Boy finished for him. "That's kind of freaky. I can't believe Aquagirl could have that effect on her."

"I'm surprised you didn't notice before." Cyborg said.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said slowly. "I've been kinda distracted lately."

"With being able to access your human form again?"

"That's part of it." Beast Boy suddenly folded his legs beneath him in a strangely coquettish fashion and looked curiously at his metal friend. "Yo, Cyborg. You got a crush on the doctor lady at Star Labs, right?"

"I gave up on her." Cyborg sighed. "She's not interested in dating an android."

Beast Boy pondered that.

"Why don't you use your hologram thingy?" He asked. "You know, the thing that made you look like Stone when you did the Hive undercover mission. You could make yourself look like a normal guy to her."

"I think she'd figure it out eventually, BB." Cyborg pointed out. "Sarah is kinda smart."

"Yeah," Beast Boy was talking fast now. "But for a little while at least, she'd treat you like just another guy. Wouldn't that be cool?"

Cyborg opened his mouth to answer, but then he paused and looked at Beast Boy closely. "What have you been up to, little man?" He wanted to know.

Beast Boy instinct was to deny it, but he knew better. Cyborg was his best friend. He'd see straight through any lies he could tell. He looked around carefully and then leaned in to whisper.

"I've been seeing Terra."

"You're asking for trouble, man." Cyborg said it lowly. "Robin said-"

"I know Robin said to leave her alone, but I couldn't help it. She doesn't want anything to do with Beast Boy, but I thought maybe Garfield..." He shrugged and let it hang there.

"It didn't work out, did it?" Cyborg already knew the answer.

"She's not the girl we knew anymore. I don't know who she is." Beast Boy deflated. Then, half in despair and half in anger, he added. "Why does finding someone have to be so rough?"

"Love is hard." Cyborg said. "It's even harder for a robot and a green guy. Things are always harder when you're different."

"What about Starfire? She hooked up with Robin."

Cyborg glanced at where she was leaning over Robin's shoulder near the computer.

"True." Cyborg admitted. "But she looks better in a miniskirt than we do."

"Psh! Speak for yourself!"

The two boys smirked at each other.

Starfire stood patiently, her hands affectionately on Robin's shoulders as he typedtypedtyped on the titan computer. There was a soft, simple intimacy in her touch. If Robin noticed, he didn't show it. He stared at the computer screen in intense concentration.

"Finally!" He burst out. "I got it! Everyone gather around."

The others broke off their conversations to group around the computer. Robin hit a few keys and an image appeared on the big screen above them.

"This is the surveillance camera feed from the roof of the parking garage across the street from the Gemini Building." Robin explained. "Let's see if we can spy anything helpful."

A masked boy in orange and black streaked into the grainy screen. He was falling fast, holding tight to a young blonde girl. A blue sphere of transparent energy enveloped them just before they crashed into a parked truck. Robin froze the video just as the boy recovered and looked into the bed of the truck. He typed a quick command and the camera zoomed in on him.

"Who's that?" Aquagirl asked.

"Don't know." Cyborg said. "But that costume leaves no doubt who he works for."

"Slade." Robin chewed on the name. "It looks like he has a new apprentice."

"Two, actually." Raven corrected him. "There was the girl with the bow, too."

"Artemis." Aquagirl supplied helpfully. "I think the scarred girl that was with her called her Artemis."

"That raises another question." Robin went on. "Who are the two girls with them?"

"I had a chance to talk to this one before he got away." Beast Boy pointed at the screen. "The girl with him was the one I saw the first night we got called to the Gemini Building. He said Gemini kidnapped her."

"Then it was a rescue?" Starfire asked.

"I don't know that taking them to Slade counts as 'rescuing'" Robin said grimly.

"I don't know about the girl," Beast Boy said. "But I got the feeling this one thought he was doing the right thing." He frowned. "It would help if he had a name."

"Maverick." Raven said.

They all looked at her.

"Did you just make that up?"

Raven shook her head.

"I sensed it from Artemis during our encounter with her. The name was on the edge of her consciousness."

Robin clicked a button and the video continued to play. They watched as a dark-winged swordsman swooped down and Maverick aimed a torrent of flames at him.

"So he's a fire elemental." Cyborg said. "Like Hotspot, right?"

"So it seems." Robin said.

"What about the shield at the beginning of the video?" Aquagirl asked. "Could a fire elemental do that?"

"I believe the girl was responsible for that." Starfire said.

"It would explain why Slade wants her." Robin agreed with her.

Beast Boy's jaw clenched.

"All he does is use people." He growled.

The tape continued to play and Robin pointed out the blindfolded boy that joined the swordsman during the fight with himself and Starfire.

"Then we have these two." Robin said. "They appear to be working for Gemini."

"The one with the sword is Druj." Raven told them. "The blindfolded one is..." She paused. She leaned forward, gazing at the image on the screen.

"Um, Raven?" Aquagirl prodded her.

"Afreet." Raven said. "His name is Afreet. A teleporter, obviously."

Robin looked closer at the screen.

"Strange," he said. "Look at the way he moves; he's not blind. He's looking me in the eye when he's talking. But look: He never sees Starfire's punch coming."

"Maybe he can't see women." Cyborg thought aloud. "Or aliens."

"Bummer on both accounts." Beast Boy quipped.

Robin switched off the video and stood up to face his teammates.

"I'm not exactly sure what's going on." He said to them. "But there's a storm coming. You can smell it in the air. For now all we can do is keep our eyes open and be ready." He punched his gloved palm with resolve. "And we will be."

TTTTTTTTTT

The subway lair Slade and the Undergrounders called home was dark and clammy and empty and lonely. For Kelly it felt even more so with Jonny gone. She clutched her bow, shooting a target over and over again. She hit the bulls-eye, retracted her arrow and did it again.

Slade could always sneak up on her.

"You were very convincing with Jonny." He said from behind her. "He believed you completely."

Kelly snapped off another shot.

"Wasn't that the idea?" She tried to hide the strain in her voice.

"Of course." Slade assured her. "Though perhaps you divulged more information than I would have liked."

"Jonny's not stupid." Kelly retracted her arrow again. "He wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't given him something."

"I see. So you fed him information as a ploy to gain his trust."

Kelly hesitated, but then she notched her arrow on the bow string.

"R-right."

"Then I'm curious;" Slade leaned his chin over her shoulder. "What was the kiss for?"

Kelly froze in the act of drawing back her bow, but didn't reply.

"I warned you from the very beginning not to grow attached." Slade intoned. "You knew from the start he was nothing but a pawn. Why did you do it?"

Kelly tried to keep the bow drawn, but her resolve wavered. She let her arms hang and her head lower.

"You told him to go home, Kelly." Slade's voice was suddenly harder. "That would ruin all of our plans."

Kelly dropped her bow and turned to him.

"Slade, I-Augh!"

She suddenly collapsed to the floor, crying out and holding her sides. Her skin glowed red and orange as the nanoscopic probes implanted in her began attacking from the inside out. Slade turned his back on her so he wouldn't have to watch her writhe and squirm in pain. He waited for the space of several heartbeats before pushing the button built in his wrist to stop the nanoprobe attack. Kelly made her way up to her hands and knees, sweating and coughing and breathing hard.

Slade turned back to her and his single eye was strangely soft as he beheld her.

"You're different from the others I've employed, Kelly." He said to her. "You're an excellent apprentice. But over time, you've become more than that. I've grown...fond of you, child. You've become like a daughter to me. That's why this betrayal hurts all the more."

Kelly leaned back on her knees to look up at him.

"You were weak when you came to me " Slade went on. "I saw the bruises and the abuse. Your father used you as a release for his frustration. Nothing more. You were unable to defend yourself. You were a slave to his drunken rages. But now...now you are strong. I made you that way. No one can hurt you anymore."

"Except you." Kelly growled weakly.

"I don't want to hurt you, child. But I am your new father. I can't guide you without a means of disciplining you. Surely you can understand that." He continued when she didn't reply. "Just how strong are you feelings for Jonny?"

Kelly exhaled.

"What do you mean?" She asked quickly.

"The question is simple. Do you love the boy?"

Kelly looked away.

"I just know he doesn't deserve what we're doing to him." She said. "He deserves to be happy."

"As do you, Kelly." Slade paused. He tilted up his head, thinking. "I'll make a deal with you." He decided. "If Jonny takes your advice and goes home...we'll forget this plan of ours. We'll leave him unmolested and start anew."

Kelly looked up at him in a mixture of hope and suspicion.

"R-really?"

"Of course, my dear." Slade grasped her chin gently. "I just want to see you happy."

"...what if he doesn't?"

"Then it means he never thought enough of you to follow your last request. It means he doesn't' feel the same way about you." He pushed back her hair, his finger trailing along the pink lock at her brow. "It means, my child, that I'm the only one in this world that cares about you."

Kelly nodded and let out a shuddering sigh.

"Yes, master."

TTTTTTTTTT

Cadmus Labs had been an invaluable acquisition for Gemini Industries. Save for a few top scientific minds, Maryse had immediately fired everyone and sold the compound. All she cared about was the amazing data and resources.

The product of those resources and data floated suspended in a tall, cylindrical pod. It was an eighteen year old girl, artificially aged to the peak of physical prowess An oxygen mask was strapped over her nose and mouth and a pair of white medical strips retained her dignity. Her eyes were closed and her blonde hair floated above her head like a halo.

Maryse Gemini observed the girl with her hands clasped speculatively behind her back while Dr. Pytor Raskov manned a computer console nearby.

"Progress report." Maryse ordered.

"As you know – and can see – the subject is physically perfect." Dr. Raskov said. "All readings match or exceed our expectations. She may not be quite as strong as Superman, but she'll more than make up for it by lacking all of his weaknesses. With the right training and experiences, she could one day eclipse him as the most powerful being on the planet."

"That sounds promising, doctor."

"But it's also dangerous." Dr. Raskov warned. "We'll have no way to control her. She could be our greatest ally...or our greatest enemy. Free will is much too unpredictable for my tastes."

"You let me worry about that." Maryse purred. "How is her mental development progressing?"

"Very slowly." Dr. Raskov said regretfully. "You have to understand that she has to process eighteen years of knowledge. We're implanting everything from history to math and science to pop culture, military tactics, languages, music and fighting expertise. It will take quite some time."

"You have twenty four hours." Maryse delivered the ultimatum.

"O-of course, Ms. Gemini." Dr. Raskov watched Maryse walk towards the elevator. At first he was willing to keep his peace as she left the secret lab, but his professional curiosity got the better of him. "Ms. Gemini," he called to her.

Maryse turned back as she stepped into the elevator.

"What is it, Dr. Raskov?"

"We're playing with fire here, ma'am. Just how are you planning to control her?" He asked.

"Simple." Maryse smiled smugly. "I'm just going to tell her the truth: She's my daughter."

And the elevator doors closed.

TTTTTTTTTT

The nursery at the Johnson house at Bluestone Ranch was quiet and dark, only illuminated by the soft glow of Crystal's laptop computer. The cradle looked strangely empty without Melody in it. Crystal sat in a chair along the far wall, hunched over and typing away.

It was nearly midnight when Roy returned with the blonde baby. He quietly opened the door, flicked on the light and stepped into the room. He jumped noticeably when he saw Crystal.

"Damn!" He gasped. Then he caught himself and looked down at Melody, but the baby was still asleep. Much quieter he added: "Goodness, Crystal. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry, dad." She shut her computer. "I was waiting on Melody."

Roy coughed.

"So I see." He said. He gently laid Melody down in her cradle. "I took her to the Williams Farmstead, if you must know. Amber's parents still have the right to see their granddaughter."

"That's how all this drama started in the first place." Crystal pointed out with an edge to her voice. "That's when-" She suddenly stopped as she got her first good look at her father. His eyes were red and droopy and the lines in his weather-beaten face were deeper than usual. "Have you been crying?" She asked him in surprise.

Roy coughed manfully and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "I'm fine," he said. "It's just tough seeing Amber's parents, that's all. I can't imagine holding your granddaughter with your daughter buried in the ground."

Crystal looked closer at him, her eyes penetrating. "It's more than that." She deduced. "You're hiding something."

Roy didn't bother refuting it. "Have you heard from Jonny?" He asked instead.

"Just an email a few days ago. He didn't mention you."

Roy nodded slowly. "I'm not surprised. I reckon I can live with that if it makes him feel better to ignore me."

"Now wait a second!" Crystal stood up to confront her father. "You can't drive him away and then suddenly start playing the martyr!"

"Watch your tone, young lady." Roy said dangerously.

"No!" Crystal defied him. "I'm in the right here and you're wrong! Why should I?"

Their argument woke up Melody and she began to cry. Roy ignored her, reached out and firmly grasped Crystal's upper arm.

"Listen here!" He grated. "You've let your love for Jonny blind you! You can make him out to be a saint and me the devil, but you remember this: At the very least, this is as much Jonny's fault as it is mine! He's the one that got Amber pregnant. He's the one that killed her. He's the one that had this kid when he wasn't ready to take care of her and he's the one that chose to leave! I'm still here taking care of my family! Where the hell is he!"

Crystal's eyes had teared up. "D-dad...you're hurting me..."

Roy looked down and realized his grip on his daughter's arm had tightened more and more during his outburst. He quickly let her go, then looked down at the crying baby in the crib. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He backpedaled, finally tearing away his haunted eyes and sorrowfully leaving the room.


	28. Oct 7: Costner Is Not The Postman

"_...So you want to start the Church of Starfire?" - Druj_

_**Costner Is Not The Postman**_

_**October 7th**_

_**Early Morning**_

Starfire floated, her eyes wet as she beheld the world around her.

The end had come. Jump City was dying. The sky was overcast and red as if the blood that had been spilled beneath had splashed up and stained it. The air was cold and dark and filled with fog and dust. Dozens of buildings had collapsed while others were barely standing. Rubble filled the streets and fires lit up the murkiness. Yet another earthquake in an endless string of them raged beneath the streets, cracking concrete and bringing down more buildings. Screams came from all sides, but Starfire couldn't tell hope to determine their source.

Then the true horror began. From the crack in the earth, dark figures scratched and clawed their way upwards. The stench of decaying flesh filled Starfire's nose and turned her stomach. The undead rose up, their flesh and clothes rotting and hanging from their near naked bodies. They groaned and wailed, shambling forward. They clawed the air with sharp, bony fingers. They advanced on Starfire, staring at her with soulless red eyes. Starfire's blood ran cold even as she conjured starbolts to fight them off.

Robin was suddenly there, shouting something Starfire didn't understand. He stomped along the edge of a rooftop, pulled out his bo-staff and dove bodily into the horde of zombies. There was the whumpwhumpwhump of his staff connecting with flesh and bone, but the numbers were too great. He was overwhelmed and disappeared in a mass of gray, undead humanity.

Starfire woke up gasping. She sat up in her bed of pink and frills, trying to slow her thundering heart. It had been another horrible dream in which Robin had met a horrific fate and again it had been so very real. Even now, awake in the dark, Starfire could smell the lingering vestiges of rot and death. She shuddered, swiveled her hips and stood up out of bed.

Silkie snored quietly on the bedside table and Starfire was careful not to disturb him. She floated just above her carpeted floor to the wide and tall windows that were characteristic of the tower. She drew back the curtains and looked across the bay. There, completely safe and sound, stood Jump City. No earthquakes. No fires. No zombie hordes.

Starfire sighed, closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cold glass. These nightmares were like nothing she had ever experienced before. She was ashamed of her unreasonable fear. She was a Princess of Tamaran; a proud warrior who had fought both the Gordanians and the Citadel with righteous fury.

Perhaps that was the problem. There was no enemy to fight. All of Starfire's strength and ability and fighting prowess were meaningless. Fear wasn't something she could combat when it came from within.

Both dreams had focused on Robin, though Starfire was reluctant to call them such. They felt stronger than that; more significant. They were more like prophecies or premonitions than simple nightmares. She breathed in deep. Her brain knew that Robin was just down the hall, unharmed and fast asleep in his bed. It was her fear and her heart that couldn't be convinced.

Starfire left her bedroom and went down the hall, already feeling guilty. She shouldn't be waking Robin up, but she couldn't help herself. She _had_ to see him; hear his voice. It was a compulsion she was unable to deny. She came to Robin's door and knocked before she could think to talk herself out of it.

It wasn't long before the door slid to one side and Robin looked up at her with a tired, sleepy face. "...Starfire?" He peered blearily at her from behind his eyemask. "What's wrong?"

Starfire didn't look him in the face. She stared down at her feet and hugged her middle. "It happened again." She said meekly.

"What happened-" Robin stopped at realization hit him. "Another nightmare?"

Starfire nodded silently at the floor. She looked up when Robin took her hand and saw his soft, compassionate face. She exhaled gratefully. He gently pulled her into the room and the door shut quietly behind them.

TTTTTTTTTT

Afreet couldn't sleep. His mind was tensed like a muscle and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way to relax it. He couldn't quiet his thoughts and they kept pulling him from the edge of sleep time and time again.

Afreet had no way to know if the room was dark, but he assumed it was. It made no difference to him; the world was always dark from his perspective. Even so, he had memorized the room Gemini had given him and his brother long ago. In his mind's eye he could see the bed next to his and, much more clearly, the dark outline of his brother. He could tell Druj was there, but he had no way of knowing whether or not he was asleep.

"Druj," he said into what may or may not have been the gloom of night. "Are you still awake?"

The dark outline Afreet knew to be his brother's soul shifted slightly.

"No." Druj replied groggily.

Afreet allowed himself a small smirk. "You do realize that by answering the question you-"

"Yes, yes, I realize." Druj's voice sounded more alert, but also more irritable. "What do you want?"

Afreet didn't bother with subtlety and got straight to the point. "I'm disturbed by what happened today." He admitted.

Druj rolled over to his side and propped his head up on his elbow to look at him. "You've seen it before." He pointed out. "And you've seen it much worse. It's not the first time I was late on a dose."

"That's not what I meant. I can't stop thinking about that girl."

"What girl?" Druj asked. Afreet could tell by his tone that he had piqued his brother's curiosity.

"The one that hit me on the roof of the parking garage." Afreet said. "What was her name again?"

"Starfire." Druj's head tilted speculatively. "She _is_ cute." He concluded. "I never would have thought she'd be your type, though."

"Don't be a fool, Druj. That's not why I'm thinking about her."

"Then enlighten me, little brother."

Afreet took a moment to collect his thoughts before he answered. "I see the darkness of people's souls." He explained. "I use them as reference points to get around from day to day."

"I know that, Afreet."

Afreet ignored him and continued his analytical thought process. "Every soul is different. Some are so black they look solid. Others look like thin, hazy smoke or fog."

"And everything in between, I presume?" Druj went along with him. He was used to his brother's voiced pondering.

"Right. But then there's Starfire."

"Uh-huh. And what does her soul look like?"

"I don't know." Afreet shook his head. "I can't see it."

It was at that point Druj gave him his complete attention. All drowsiness in his voice was gone. "Not at all?"

Afreet ran his fingers along the edges of his blindfold. "Her soul is completely invisible to me."

"W-wait. What does that mean?"

"I don't _know_ what it means!" Afreet gestured. "That's the problem!"

"She's an alien, right? Maybe-"

"A soul is a soul." Afreet disagreed. "It doesn't matter where in the universe it was born."

"So her soul doesn't have any darkness in it."

Afreet sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. "How can you say that so nonchalantly?" He demanded. "Do you have any idea how significant this is? The last time the world thought they had found a perfect soul was two thousand years ago and they created a religion around him."

"...So you want to start the Church of Starfire?"

"Not. My. Point." Afreet grated. He shook his head. "I don't know what my point is. It's just-"

"You're afraid." Druj said suddenly.

"I repressed my emotions a long time ago, brother. You know that." Afreet folded his arms across his chest. "I don't _do_ fear."

Druj said nothing.

"Still," Afreet conceded. "I get the feeling we'll be fighting the Titans again. I won't be able to see Starfire. You'll have to protect me from her."

"Of course."

Afreet nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's get some sleep."

The two brother's rolled over and settled in their beds. A long moment passed before Afreet spoke again, his tone betraying his age.

"Y-you promise?"

"I promise."

TTTTTTTTTT

Cyborg never really slept; he recharged. He plugged himself up to the energy reserves of Titans Tower each night to replenish his internal power cell. His technological parts powered down during the process and ran on the minimum setting. That included the half of Cyborg's brain that was made up of computer chips and circuitry. When that section slowed down, the organic part of his brain compensated. Synapses fired in overdrive and put Cyborg in a dream-like, nearly hallucinogenic state.

Inside his mind, Victor Stone was flesh and blood. He stood on a football field. He felt the warm sun on his skin and the springy turf beneath his cleats. The roar of thousands of people cheering reverberated unfiltered into his ears. He looked to his left and, there on the sideline, he caught a glimpse of three cheerleaders posing midair before landing and being caught by their uniformed sisters.

Victor looked ahead again. The quarterback and his offensive line stood in front of him and across from them were eleven defensive players. Victor knew those opposing players wanted nothing more than to tackle him into the dirt.

"Eighty Redstreak!" The quarterback called out the play. "Hyunia twenty two! Set hut hut hike!"

The center hiked the ball to the quarterback and the play started. The quarterback faked a pass, turned and shoved the football into Victor's gut. The ball was leathery and the straps were scratchy beneath Victor's fingertips.

Victor knew just what to do with it. He gripped it tight beneath one arm and rushed forward. A blitzing linebacker broke through the line and dove at him, but he hopped to the right and avoided the contact. He abandoned the middle and ran right instead. Before he could turn up field, the defensive end shed his blocker and came after him. Victor held him a bay with a stiff arm and then shoved him into the dirt even as he turned the corner and galloped up the sideline. He felt the sweat on his brow and the burn in his muscles. The crowd was on it's feet, their cheers growing louder and louder in hopeful anticipation.

The outside linebacker had the angle on him. He stomped across the field, his cleats churning up clots of dirt, and slammed himself into Victor's side. The pain somehow felt good; it reminded Victor that he was alive. He spun away from the contact, stumbled and somehow kept his feet pistoning beneath him. The way was nearly clear. He ran and ran and just up ahead lay the end zone. But it wasn't unguarded. A pair of safeties were there to meet him at the goal line. Victor grit his teeth and leaped into them, even as they did the same in unison. They collided with a bone crunching crash in mid-air. Victor spun and spun and spun-

-and landed in the end zone for a touchdown.

If the crowd had been roaring before, they were thundering now. Victor's teammates ran up to him, smiling and laughing and patting him on the back. The cheerleaders flipped and waved their pom poms. Fireworks exploded in a cascade of colors overhead. And then, in a single instant, everything stopped. His teammates froze in place, two of them in mid-jump as they shoulder bumped. The cheerleaders stopped in the middle of a stunt. The crowd went quiet all at once. The fireworks overhead were suddenly a painting on the canvas of the sky.

There was a finger snap and the the football players all disappeared, leaving Victor alone on the field. He looked around in bewilderment until he spied a young woman sitting on the goal post above him with her legs dangling. Her skin was blue circuitry, her hair was red and her pink eyes glowed like two computer monitors in the dark.

Victor blinked up at her. "Who are you?" He asked.

"You know me." The girl kicked her legs. "I'm the girl from the Gemini Building, remember?" She looked around at the snapshot of the football scenario around them. "You don't seem like the type to have sports fantasies."

Victor thought about that. "Shouldn't you have known? I mean, you said it yourself: You know everything I know. Right?"

"I exaggerated a little." The girl admitted. "I have access to all the information stored in the electronic part of your brain. Interpretation – like how you feel about things – is left up to me."

Victor looked curiously at her. "Just what exactly happened yesterday when we touched in the Gemini mainframe room?"

"I saw an opportunity to escape and took it." The young woman shrugged her blue shoulders. "I copied myself onto your hard drive. I guess it was more than your systems could take all at once. I'm sorry about that."

"Why is Gemini keeping you in that pod?" Victor asked. "Your body, I mean."

"That's kind of a long story."

Cyborg gestured. "I'm a good listener." He pressed her.

The girl sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I'm a lot like you, actually. I didn't always look like this."

"What did you look like?"

She snapped her fingers again. The air shimmered around her like rising heat waves. Her red hair lengthened down her back and turned dark. Her pink eyes crossed shades to become a dusty gold and her blue skin softened into a dark, tallow brown. She wore a simple green blouse and denim shorts. A small pair of thick-rimmed glasses sat low on her nose. She wriggled her bare toes at Victor.

"Something like this." She said to him. "My name is Lulu Namid, but it's been a long time since anyone's called me that."

"Namid..." Victor repeated thoughtfully. "Is that Arabian?"

"Cheyenne, actually. My dad told me it means 'star dancer'."

"That's pretty." Victor complimented her.

"I'm not a dancer and I'm not a luminous ball of plasma maintained due to thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen." She shrugged it away.

Victor blinked. He opened his mouth-

"Anyway." Lulu went on. "You know about the metagene, right?"

Victor nodded. He opened his mouth again-

"Of course you do." Lulu interrupted him before he could speak. "As a matter of fact, I know you know. I'm just cursed with being analytical. The metagene is a biological quirk in the human genome responsible for making metahumans. Scientists still debate whether it's an anomaly or a product of enhanced adaptation or evolution, but the dramatic increase in documented cases over the last twenty years suggest-"

"You have it, don't you?" Victor cut to the heart of her spiel. "The metagene, I mean."

Lulu nodded. "It didn't give me any of the flashy powers like flying or super-strength, though. I wish it did. Instead it gave me access to the full potential of my brain."

"So...what? You can move things by thinking?"

Lulu looked at him disapprovingly. "You're smarter than that, Cyborg. Moving things isn't the full potential of the human brain; that's what we have muscles for. My power is the greatest power of all: The power of thought."

"You're a genius, then." Victor surmised.

"You don't understand." Lulu told him. "I was reading before I could walk. I was doing algebra when the other kids my age were still trying to color inside the lines. I graduated college when I was twelve."

"Wow," Victor let out an impressed whistle.

"It came with a price, though. I started getting headaches that became more and more severe. I theorized my brain was being overstimulated and thought isn't something you can just turn off. Think of it as an overheated motor with an ignition you can't stop."

"You don't have to dumb it down _that_ much." Victor said in a slightly offended tone.

"Sorry," Lulu said. "Force of habit. Anyway, the headaches came more and more frequently. They eventually got so bad that I couldn't function anymore. My parents took me to dozens of doctors, but none of them could help. We didn't know what to do."

Victor already knew what was coming. "Gemini." He said.

"Yes. They offered to care for me. By that time I was in constant pain. My parents had no other options and, honestly...I think they were tired of seeing me hurting."

Victor looked at her sympathetically, but said nothing.

"So now Gemini had a super genius on their hands, but I was in such pain that I was of no help to them. So they did what they always do with their illegal projects: They killed my parents and faked my death. They could do anything they wanted without anyone asking questions."

"I became Project 21. Codename: Indigo. Gemini possessed the strongest brain on the planet...only it was trapped inside a body that wouldn't work. And so they changed it." Her body morphed into the original form Victor had seen. "Ironically, I like the name Indigo. At least now I'm not confused with top-heavy mages with plushie fetishes."

"What did they do to you?"

"They digitalized me. Not unlike what happened to you after your accident. They kept me asleep in the pod you found me in...used my brain as the world's most powerful computer processor." She shook her head and lowered her eyes. "My body will always be theirs. I can't wake up anymore; my brain can't handle it. The only way I can survive now is as a digital copy. I've latched onto you like a parasite."

"You're not a parasite, Indigo. I'm happy you did what you did." He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Maybe you don't have to be stuck with me. I think I have an idea."


	29. Present: What Fourth Wall?

"_It would have been nice for us to be together as a family." - Jonny_

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

_**Night**_

_**What Fourth Wall?**_

The storm had passed and supper had been reduced to full bellies and dirty dishes. Jonny, his daughter Melody and her friend Yumi still sat around the kitchen table. The two girls listened intently as Jonny recounted his story. They were so entranced with his words that the passage of time and the world growing dark beyond the house had passed without notice.

Jonny's sore muscles noticed. He yawned and stretched in his chair, feeling the dull, overexerted ache that was the result of a day's worth of hard work. "I think that's about all I've got for today." He decided. He looked at Yumi. "I'll call your mama and let her know you'll be spending the night here. I'd say it's too dark now for you to riding your dirt bike."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Melody objected and waved her hands. "You can't stop there! It'll be weeks before you tell us more!"

Jonny blinked at his daughter. Then he scratched his cheek. "Why are you being so dramatic? I'll continue the story first thing tomorrow morning."

"Good." Melody folded her arms and nodded. "Just remember that, okay? I don't want to have to wait forever to hear more. It's not like you have to write it or anything!"

"Where did you learn to tell stories like that, Mr. Johnson?" Yumi said it much more politely. "You're really good at it."

"Thank you, darlin'." Jonny smiled at her. "I might not be a bard, but I reckon there's a little bit of one in me. Now why don't ya'll get ready for bed while I clean up?"

The two girls left and the room was quiet. Jonny leaned back, reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He hit the speed dial and, as always, Zillah picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, Mr. Johnson." She answered. Somehow, through some uncanny ability, she always knew when it was him calling.

"Howdy there, Ms. Hikaru." Through some unspoken agreement, the two of them were always formal and polite to each other. Over the years they had never developed the kind of relationship their daughters shared. There was no ill will between them, just a courteous distance Zillah had always been sure to maintain. Jonny respected her wishes.

"It's my fault Yumi stayed so late." He told her. "I kinda tied her up with something. I figured she could just stay here for the night. If that's okay with you, of course."

"Of course," Zillah agreed. "You've always taken good care of her."

"Do ya'll have training in the morning? If so I can make sure they wake up early enough to-"

"I think I'll give them tomorrow off. Tell Yumi and Melody to enjoy themselves."

"That's awful sweet of you." Jonny said. "I'll be sure to do that. Good night, Ms. Hikaru."

"Good night, Mr. Johnson."

Jonny snapped the phone shut and put it back in his pocket. He took in a deep breath, enjoying the stillness around him. He stood up slowly, his inactive bones creaking in protest, and gathered up the dirty dishes. Even as he began to run the warm, soapy water in the sink to wash them, his mind drifted. Telling his story to Melody and Yumi had taken him to another place and time; made him think and feel things that had been left behind for years.

Some would call that period of time his glory days, but the middle-aged cowboy knew better. It might not be as exciting, but he knew he would never do anything more important than raising Melody.

TTTTTTTTTT

The moon was high in the sky when Melody awoke some hours later. Her eyes popped open and she looked up at the ceiling in the near darkness of her bedroom. She couldn't remember if she had been dreaming and she couldn't identify what it was that had awakened her. She looked over at Yumi, but the steady rise and fall of her chest told her she was still fast asleep.

There was nothing stopping Melody from shrugging it off, turning over and going back to sleep. But, somehow, there was. She quietly climbed out of bed to avoid disturbing Yumi and stood up. The wooden floor was cool and hard beneath her naked feet. Something led her across the room and she looked out of her window. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary – just the night and the valley and the mountains around it – but then she saw it: The barn door was open just a crack and a faint light shone from inside.

Melody was immediately afire with curiosity. She briefly considered waking up Yumi, but then she thought better of it; she would do nothing but try to talk her out of her investigation. She crept silently out of the room, eyef the door to her father's bedroom anxiously and carefully made her way down the stairs. She knew from experience to skip the third step from the bottom. It squeaked and creaked something awful. She padded across the kitchen floor, slid open the side glass door and stepped outside.

It was still early Spring. The days were cheery and warm, but nights in the mountains were always chilly. Melody shivered as goose pimples popped up on her skin and a slight breeze fluttered her white cotton nightgown across her thighs. She made her way across the yard and then through the high grass. She moved through it like a silent wraith, her gown flowing behind her. She could clearly see the light from the barn, reaching out through the cracked door like a long finger beckoning her on. She heard voices as she moved closer. She discreetly put her back to the door and moved her head over just enough to peek inside.

Her father was there, barefoot and wearing the shorts and tank top he always used as his bed clothes. He sat up on the hayloft, his feet dangling off near the ladder and leaning back against a bale of hay. Beside him was a beautiful, long-legged woman nearly as tall as he was, leaning into his side with his arm cradling her shoulders. The woman was the source of the light Melody had seen. A soft, golden glow pulsed steadily from her very pores.

Melody gasped, but a hand clamped over her mouth to keep any sound from escaping. Behind her was Yumi, watching her back as always. They looked at each other, something silent passing between them. Then they leaned in together to eavesdrop.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to tell her." The golden woman was saying. "She's always loved superheroes." Her voice was oddly choral, as if she were talking in a dozen different cadences at once.

"That's exactly why I _didn't_ tell her." Jonny replied. "I knew the moment she found out I did it that she would want to, too."

"Is that really such a bad thing?" She said in her musical voice. "Demi could always use a partner."

Jonny sighed. "It's just so damn dangerous, Kelly. I know Melody has a pure heart and she truly wants to help people, but all she sees is the adventure of it all. She doesn't realize the pain involved. I made so many sacrifices over the course of my career as a vigilante...and it wasn't really that long of a career. I don't want Melody to go through what I did."

"I'm sorry about your arm, Jonny." Kelly apologized guiltily. "It's my fault you lost it."

Jonny hugged her tighter and ran his hand along her upper arm. "We've been over this before, Kelly. I never blamed you. Besides," he added. "The biggest sacrifice I was thinking about was losing you."

"But you never really lost me, did you?"

"I know that now." Jonny said. "But still, you can't be here in the way I wish you could. It would have been nice for us to be together as a family." His tone was wistful.

Kelly smiled at him and her glow seemed all the brighter. "I don't think I would have made a good housewife." She suggested impishly.

"Maybe not." Jonny replied earnestly. "You would have been a wonderful mother to Melody, though."

Kelly folded her hands in her lap and her face grew serious. "We agreed a long time ago that Demi would be my responsibility and Melody would be yours."

"I know, I know. Sometimes I just wish..." He shrugged it away. "This is all Raven's fault, you know." He went back to the original subject. "Melody developed her hero worship because of all the stories Raven has told her over the years. And apparently it was Raven that let it slip I was a Titan. I wouldn't be a lick surprised if she did it on purpose."

"Why would she do that?"

"You have to know Raven." Jonny said wryly. "She always thinks she knows what's best for everybody. The infuriating part is that she usually does."

Kelly's glow suddenly flared, waned low and then emanated steadily again. There was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. "I don't have much time left." She whispered sadly.

"Kelly..."

"You know there are limitations on how long I can stay in this plane." Kelly reached out and lovingly stroked Jonny's cheek. "Let's make the best of what time we have together." She kissed him once, twice and then he returned it for a much more passionate embrace.

Melody and Yumi watched for a moment longer. Then they moved away stealthily and walked back to the house to allow Jonny and Kelly their tender moment.


	30. Oct 7: Nerf Swordsmen

"_You got balls, boy! I'll give you that!" - Holly_

_**Nerf Swordsmen**_

_**October 7th**_

_**Morning**_

The sanitarium made Commissioner Walker feel more than a little uneasy. The problem, he surmised, was that everything about it was so damn unnatural. No place should ever be so clean and white and straight. Walker felt his mere presence there was somehow sullying the whole facility. He wanted nothing more than to walk away and leave this place behind him forever, but he forced himself to press on anyway. He made his way down a long, tiled hallway, stepping into his glossy reflection made by the bright, harsh lights that ran along the ceiling. On either side of him were holding cells with large, open windows made for observation. The rooms themselves were square and padded, furnished with nothing but a simple cot and a steel toilet. The patients Walker saw were mostly lethargic, sitting on their cots or in the floor in their straitjackets.

"As you can see, Commissioner." The doctor walking next to Walker waved her arm. "This hallway is reserved for our most severe cases. The patients here are deemed a danger to themselves and others. They can't possibly function with any sense of normalcy outside these walls."

"So," Walker peeked into a window as they passed. An old man inside ignored him and lay on his cot in the fetal position. "You just lock them up like criminals?"

"A necessary evil. It's for the safety of both them and the general populace." The doctor said, though her tone was more clinical than regretful. "Of course, we don't forget about them. Each of them have daily therapy. There's always the hope of recovery for them."

The two of them continued on and finally stopped in front of another windowed cell. Inside was a familiar, unshaven face. He stood in the center of the room, staring at nothing in particular with bloodshot eyes.

"Is there any hope for him?" Walker pointed and asked in a solemn voice.

"Jeff Holt." The doctor looked down at her clipboard to be sure. "He's still in the evaluation stage, but I'm afraid we're not optimistic. Even with the drugs flushed from his system, all attempts to engage him have failed. There are no indications that he even realizes he's being spoken to."

"Maybe what you're saying doesn't interest him. Has he said anything?"

"Nothing coherent." The doctor shook her head. "At first we thought his ramblings were a product of drug-induced hallucinations, but now they seem to be an inherent symptom of his condition."

"Uh-huh," Walker nodded. "And just what is his condition? Besides being crazy, that is."

"As I said, commissioner, we're still in the midst of his mental evaluation and it could take some time to properly diagnose him."

Walker grunted. "So for now he's just crazy. Got ya." He looked at the doctor. "I think I'll chat with him now. Thanks for showing me the way, doc."

"I'm sorry, sir." The doctor railed against his dismissal. "That's against the hospital's protocol. I can't allow you inside a patient's room without professional supervision."

"You can and you will." Walker said it in a tone that didn't invite debate.

"Commissioner-"

"I'll lock up when I'm done." Walker ended her objection before it could begin. "Goodbye, doctor. Go lube up your rectal thermometer or something."

The doctor looked as is she might say more, but then she held her tongue. She thrust a key card into the commissioner's hand, turned on her heel and walked curtly away. Walker waited a moment to be sure she was gone before opening the cell door and stepping inside. He looked at Jeff closely, but the disturbed man didn't react.

"Hey there, Jeff." Walker said. "How are these ass clowns treating you?"

At first it seemed Jeff would ignore him, but then he slowly turned his head to make eye contact. "The Wolf's Prey..." He uttered.

Walker nodded. He pulled out a notepad from his jacket and scribbled that down. "Right, right. You said something like that before. Something about a bell?"

"Beware! The Wolf stalks you! He shall attack at the ringing of a bell!"

"Right." Walker muttered and jotted in his notepad. "That. You said something about my daughter, too. Something about-"

"The Huntress! The Hidden Father's life is in her hands! He will triumph and make the world suffer...or she will kill him."

"Not so fast, man!" Walker wrote and wrote. He looked back up at Jeff. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"The symbol will fall." Jeff intoned. "The Progenitor will be driven forth to the path where he must reach into the great unknown. And the moon will watch her die."

Walker stared at the crazy man. Then he chuckled tiredly and buried his face in his hands. "This is stupid." He said. "All of this is just mumbo jumbo. I know you're not a prophet. I'm just here because...because I feel guilty."

Jeff had no reaction.

"You were a low-life scum, Jeff, but you didn't deserve this." Walker hung his head. "Nobody does. I should have protected you. This is my fault."

Jeff looked past him into nothingness. Walker watched him for a long moment. Then he coughed brusquely and stood up. He turned his back on him and used the key card to open the door. He took one step out, but then he paused and looked back over his shoulder.

"Who, Jeff?" Walker couldn't help but ask. "Who is the moon going to watch die?"

Jeff turned his head and their eyes met. When he spoke again, his voice was at once grave and hopeful.

"The mother of the one who will save us all."

TTTTTTTTTT

In a room on the third floor of the Jump City Hospital, Daniel rose from a deep sleep into a plane in which he could almost think intelligibly.

"Ugh..." He groaned sleepily.

"Danny!" A sweet voice called to him. "Time to wake up!"

"Mmm," Daniel mumbled something even he didn't understand. "Five minutes." He finished weakly, already drifting again.

"C'mon...!" The voice cajoled him again. "It's time for you to wake me up and get me ready for school!"

Daniel opened a single eye and was met with the blurry vision of his little sister's face. "Is it morning already?"

"Mm, hmm," she sing-songed. "it's time to get upppp!"

Daniel finally sat up and, now fully awake, instantly winced in pain. He reached for the bedside table, but his sister was already holding up the silver flask he was searching for. He took it from her gratefully and gulped it down. He leaned back and waited for the bitter liquid to take effect.

"So," he said after a long moment. "I know you're dying to tell me. How old are you today?"

His sister beamed at him. "Nine years, three months and five days!" She said proudly.

Daniel smiled at that. He carefully swung his feet off the bed and stood up. Still shaking off sleep and adjusting to the liquor in his veins, Daniel looked around to gain his bearings. The room was small and on the third floor of the hospital. There was a single window looking out over the parking garage. There was a plain bed, a small dresser and an old reclining chair that didn't recline anymore. A small television was propped up at the corner of the ceiling. There were two doors; one led out to the hospital hallway and the other led to an identical room that his sister, Bridget, used as her own. It was then he noticed she was still in her nightgown.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" He asked her.

"Today's Pride Day at school." Bridget said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If you wear the school color you get extra credit!"

"You already get A's on everything." Daniel said. "What do you need extra credit for?"

"Dan-nny!"

"All right, all right." He surrendered. He ran a hand through his unkempt red hair. "So why aren't you wearing the school color?"

"All I have is that green shirt with the tassels and I can't find it!"

"Damnit!" Daniel muttered under his breath. "I forgot to bring up the laundry yesterday."

Bridget gasped at him. "Danny! I can't believe you said that in front of me!"

"...sorry..." He mumbled. He opened the drawer and pulled out a pair of blue coveralls. He shimmied into them, put the silver flask in his chest pocket and ducked into the strap that held his tankard in place on his hip. "All right." He said as he put on his sneakers. "How much time do we have before your bus comes?"

"Twenty two minutes."

Daniel nodded. "Go make up your bed. I'll bring up the laundry and stop by the cafeteria."

He moved to leave, but Afreet was suddenly standing in the doorway and blocking his path.

Daniel did a double-take at the blindfolded boy. "Who are-"

He never got a chance to finish. Afreet reached out, grabbed him and the two of them disappeared into thin air. Bridget, suddenly alone, stared in shocked at the wisp of black smoke that was all that remained of her brother.

TTTTTTTTTT

Starfire's bedroom was a reflection of her gentle spirit. The room was furnished in soft pinks and purples and was almost stereotypically feminine. There were a myriad of plush animals lying around and tall curtains hugged the large window characteristic of nearly every room in Titans Tower.

Robin stalked around the room quietly, the slit of his eye mask narrowed in concentration and his cape hung forward over his shoulders. He ran his gloved hand over the bedside table, eyed the alarm clock shaped like Mumbo Jumbo and then moved on. Starfire stood near the doorway and watched him work.

"I do not understand, Robin." She confessed. "What is it are you searching for?"

"Not sure." Robin said. He picked up a blue teddy bear, looked over it once and then dropped it back to the floor. "I'm hoping I'll know it when I see it. If the nightmares you've been experiencing aren't just dreams, then maybe we can find a clue as to what's causing them."

Starfire pursed her lips in thought. "So because the nightmares only occur here and not with you...you suspect an environmental cause?"

"Right." Robin nodded. "Besides, you can't sleep in my room forever. I don't know if my back can take another night lying on the floor."

"Your bed is spacious enough to accommodate both of us, Robin." Starfire said pointedly.

Robin turned away to hide his slight blush at that, making a show of examining the corner. "I-It wouldn't be appropriate." He said shortly.

"Why not?"

Robin hesitated. "I don't think you'd understand, Starfire." He said then. "It's a human thing."

"I understand better than you believe." Starfire disagreed confidently. "I know the bed is the human's traditional mating ground. But Robin, mating and sleeping are two entirely different activities."

Robin was making strangled noises at that point.

"I know I am ignorant of many things on this planet." Starfire went on. "But I assure you, I am not as naive as you may think."

Before Robin could even consider a logical response, Starfire took in a sharp breath. "Starfire?" He asked.

"Ah..." She took in another quick breath. Her chest expanded and her shoulders rose.

"...Starfire?"

"Ah...ah...ah-" Her nose twitched. Her lips contorted. "_AHCHOO!"_

She sneezed powerfully, discharging pent up startbolt energy in a general blast. When the smoke cleared, Robin was nowhere to be seen.

"Robin?" Starfire looked around worriedly. "Robin, are you hurt?"

Her bedroom closet opened and Robin tentatively peeked out. "I'm okay, Starfire." He stepped out of the closet, looking around the surveying the damage. "Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen you sneeze like that." He paused and pondered. "In fact...not since we were chasing down Slade's chronoton detonator decoy."

"I only sneeze that violently around chronotons." Starfire reminded him. "It is a common allergy among my people."

The slits of Robin's eye mask narrowed in concentration. "Then there are chronotons here." He surmised. "Have you been sneezing lately? Before now, I mean."

"Nothing." Starfire shook her head. "I have felt fine."

"Then it must be a small amount." Robin decided. "Small enough that no one other than you would ever be able to detect it."

"What does this mean, Robin?"

"It means your dreams aren't just dreams. You're being influenced by an outside force." Robin reached into his utility build and snapped open his communicator. "Cyborg," he said into it. "I need you in Starfire's room. I think you can-"

"_Sorry, dawg, no can do."_ Cyborg's image said. _"I'm not in the tower right now."_

"Where are you?"

"_Right now I'm on the road. I'll explain later. I'll help you with your project as soon as I get back."_ Cyborg ended the transmission before Robin could reply.

Robin blinked. "What was that all about?"

Starfire returned his puzzled look. "Perhaps there is a car show in town?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Aquagirl cut through the pool water with the grace and speed of a dolphin. A black wall appeared in front of her. She flipped, kicked off of it and swam the opposite direction. More walls appeared and she weaved in and out of them. Two long walls flashed into existence on either side of the pool. They reached the full length and closed in on Aquagirl like a vice. Aquagirl catapulted out of the pool with water trailing behind her like a soggy shooting star. She flipped and landed on the floor.

Six black discs floated in the air around her, all at different heights. She held out both hands palms out. Water from the pool rose up in ropey tendrils, snaked along her arms into them.

"Very good." Raven approved. She let the telekinesis targets disappear.

Aquagirl panted with her hands on her hips. "Is Titans training always this hard?"

Raven chuckled at that. "Just wait until Robin gets a hold of you. I'm just trying to get your prepared for him."

"Great..."

Raven looked at her new friend sympathetically. Then she gestured. "Let's try something a little less rigorous." She suggested. "Here, come sit in front of me."

The two girls sat across from each other, their legs folded beneath them.

"What are we doing?" Aquagirl asked.

"Think of it as a mental exercise." Raven said. "I'll make shapes using my telekinesis and you mimic it with water. This should help give you more control over your powers."

"Okay. Let's try it." Aquagirl agreed.

Above Raven's head, a black disc identical to the ones she had used as targets earlier appeared. Aquagirl looked at it and raised her hand. Water bubbled up from the pool and congealed into its own circular shape. The edges were slightly wavy, but it was parallel with Raven's telekinesis. The black disc shifted into a square. Aquagirl's brow furrowed and the disc of water changed as well. It was technically a rectangle and one side was lopsided, but it was close enough for Raven to accept it.

"Let's try something more complicated." Raven said.

The black rectangle lowered and lengthened. A shadowy head popped out, along with arms and legs. The 'person' stood next to Raven and waved at Aquagirl.

"Whoa," Aquagirl said. "I don't think-"

"You can do it." Raven encouraged her. "Just concentrate."

Aquagirl's face turned resolute. She closed her eyes and brought her fingers up to her temples. The water rectangle slowly began to morph. A misshapen head made it's way out. Sweat broke out on Aquagirl's forehead. Stubs began to form for the arms and legs, but then the whole form began to shake unstably.

Aquagirl shook her head. "I-It's too hard!"

"You can do it!" Raven said. "Use your mantra!"

Aquagirl clenched her eyes shut tighter. She chanted. "Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso...Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..."

The water in her mental grasp solidified. The stubs grew out into legitimate arms and legs and the head smoothed out. Aquagirl opened her eyes to find her very own water person.

"Yes!" She cheered. "I did it!" The water person suddenly lost all form and the water fell to the floor in a splash. Aquagirl's eyelids lowered. "Well...kind of." She sighed.

"You should be proud." Raven told her. "You did very well."

"Thanks." Aquagirl smiled tiredly at her, then looked at Raven's shadowy person. "Can you make it do anything?"

Raven looked over at it as if she had forgotten it was there. "I don't know. Like what?"

Aquagirl suddenly giggled. "Make it dance!"

Raven's face immediately hardened. "No. Way."

"Ah, come on! It'll be fun!"

Raven stared at her for a long moment and then looked around to be sure they were alone in the tower's gymnasium. Then, with a guilty and shamed face, she looked away and waved her hand. The shadow person of telekinesis lifted his head. His arms waved fluidly, his hips popped to the side and then he proceeded to moonwalk across the floor.

"Hehehehe! Awesome!"

Raven waved her hand and the dancer vanished. Her face was slightly flushed and a smile tugged at her lips, but then she looked at Aquagirl with an absolute deadpan. "If you ever tell anyone I did that, I'll castrate you."

Aquagirl blinked. "How would you even-"

"You don't want to find out!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Beneath Jump City, Dr. Sarah Charles led Cyborg through the bowels of Star Labs. The underground complex felt like a bunker with it's plain walls and bracketed lights. Dr. Charles' heels and Cyborg's steel-shod feet echoed against the hard floor. The two of them stopped in front of a big, heavily-armored door marked 33BH.

"What is this place?" Cyborg asked.

"It's technically called Storage Room 33BH, but everyone here just calls it the scrap yard." She took a key card from her lab coat and swiped it through the console. She typed in a short code on the keypad and the vault-like door ponderously swung open.

Cyborg and the doctor walked into the dark, cavernous room beyond. Cyborg looked around, trying to peer through the darkness. He saw a shadowy shape and leaned in closer to look. "What do you keep in here?" He asked.

As if to answer him, the lights clicked on and Cyborg found himself nose to nose with a black and orange sladebot. Cyborg called out and stumbled back before he realized it was deactivated.

Dr. Charles politely pretended not to notice and took him further into the room. To Cyborg, it was less a scrap yard or storage facility and more like a museum. Robots and robot parts lay everywhere. He recognized many of them, but many more he did not. There was Cardiac, the heart-shaped alien robot that had terrorized the suburbs of Jump City and the big, white mech with the red eye Slade used on occasion. There was the electronic bust of Mad Mod, complete with laser and retractable saw and what was left of the pink alien drone that had mistakenly attacked Starfire. There was Rancid's robot dog and pieces of Brother Blood's tech and Gizmo's backpack. There were other things that didn't come directly from Jump City. Cyborg identified a boom tube, but most of the other tech he didn't recognize.

"Over the last half century," Dr. Charles explained as if she were a curator. "Extraordinary advancements have been made in the field of robotics. You can attest to that, Victor. Unfortunately, new technology is only as moral as its makers. The use of robots in the criminal community has almost become standard practice. I suppose you know that first hand as well, hm? We've also had several robot visitors from beyond the stars who have caused all kinds of mischief. Anyway, after they've been shut down by the likes of you, the robots – and their parts – are gathered up and brought here to Star Labs. We study them and learn all we can from them. And once we do, they come here to collect dust in storage. There's no good way to dispose of these materials, so we just keep them under lock and key here." She paused and added curiously. "Just what are you up to, Victor?"

"I need a robot." Cyborg said. "I could build one myself, but it would take a while. I thought maybe Star Labs had one to spare."

"And what do you need a robot for?"

"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you, Sarah." He thought about it. "Okay, maybe you would, but it's a long story."

Dr. Charles didn't press the issue.

"_See anything we can use?"_ Cyborg asked inwardly.

"_Let me look."_ Indigo said from inside him. Cyborg felt his neck twist back and forth on its own accord. _"There. Show me that."_

Cyborg walked over to the display she had pointed out. On a pedestal was nothing but a twisted, purple and silver hunk of metal. "What is this?" He asked.

Sarah Charles came over and examined it. "Ah, that's what we call the Dark Heart. It was the core of an alien invasion that landed here some years ago in Gold Haven, Nevada. From what I understand, the tech was created over fifty thousand years ago by an alien race at war with a neighboring planet. They created the Dark Heart: Technology that could consume matter and morph it into any shape or mineral it desired. It consumed an entire planet and created an army around it. There's no telling how many planets it consumed in this way before landing here."

"What stopped it from doing the same here?"

"As I'm told," the doctor said. "The army dismantled it with help from the Justice League."

"Sounds like the kind of thing they'd be mixed up in." Cyborg nodded. "So then the Dark Heart was brought here?"

"No. The government wanted to study it. The heart was taken to Cadmus Labs – a subsidiary of Lexcorp – for study. The next part is a little hazy. Supposedly a rogue computer from Krypton called Brainiac fused himself with Lex Luthor. The resulting being made the Dark Heart a part of itself to duplicate its power. When he was finally defeated – by the Flash, I think – the parts were brought here instead. We've studied the heart, but it's nothing but junk now. I don't know what the Flash did, but it seems he disabled all its functionability. We've been unable to make it work."

"_I bet I could make it work."_ Indigo said. Again, Cyborg found himself looking around without consciously willing it. He saw what could only be called a dumpster nearby filled to the brim with severed and broken robot parts. _"Pick up the Dark Heart and put it in the big bin over there."_

Cyborg followed her instructions. The moment he lifted the Dark Heart, he felt a surge in his systems and knew Indigo had transferred herself to it. He took it across the room and carefully placed it in the parts bin while Dr. Charles trailed behind him inquisitively.

There was a bright flash and the Dark Heart glowed to life. It sprouted arms and legs and a muzzle filled with teeth. It chomped into the parts around it, then it dove to the bottom of the bin out of sight. The parts grew shallower in the bin as the Dark Heart consumed them. And then, when they were gone, a blue-skinned girl with pink eyes and red hair stood in their place in the robotic flesh.

Cyborg and Dr. Charles stared.

"So," Indigo asked in a voice that crackled electronically. "How do I look?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy found Robin and Starfire walking together down the hallway not far from their rooms. He waved his arms excitedly as he trotted up to them.

"Dude!" He said to Robin, slightly out of breath. "You have a super important mega call in the main room!"

"...who is it?" Robin asked.

"I think it's you from the future!"

Starfire cocked her head to the side. "Nightwing?"

"Nu-uh," Beast Boy shook his head. "Not _that_ far into the future! The guy called himself Red-Robin!"

Robin's face lost all expression. "You two stay here." He ordered. He brushed past them.

"But I was hoping-" Beast Boy started, but Robin turned and glared. The changeling sweat dropped. "A-hehehe...staying here then."

When Robin arrived in the main room, he sat down in front of the main screen. He looked around to be sure he was alone, took in a deep breath to steel himself and then opened the transmission. Red-Robin's black cowled face appeared on the screen.

"Robin." He said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"...likewise." Robin forced himself to say and then peered suspiciously at him. "How did you get this frequency?"

"I would have thought that would be obvious."

"Hmph." Robin grunted and let that pass. "I get the feeling this isn't a social call. How can I help you?"

"It's the other way around, actually. I called to warn you." The image of Red-Robin said.

"Warn me about what?"

"There was a breakout in Bludhaven last night. Roulette escaped from prison. She-"

"I know her." Robin said. "She was arrested for organizing illegal metahuman fighting tournaments."

"Right. But I'm more worried about the mercenary that broke her out. We went a few rounds before he fought me off; tough S.O.B with an electric rod."

Robin leaned forward. "What does this have to do with me?" He asked.

"I'm getting to that." Red-Robin went on. "I managed to mark the police truck they escaped in with a tracking device. The truck was abandoned on the outskirts of Jump City early this morning. If those two are in your town I suspect they'll start causing trouble sooner rather than later. I wanted to give you a head's up; especially about the mercenary. He's dangerous, Robin."

"With all due respect, Red-Robin, you're a rookie." Robin said. "Just because this guy beat _you_ doesn't mean-"

"I'm just as well-trained as you are." Red-Robin said strongly. "Maybe even more so. If he can beat me, he can beat you, too. Be careful."

Robin looked at him grimly. "I'm always careful."

"Good." Red-Robin said. "I'm still researching the mercenary. I'll send you any information I find."

Robin nodded curtly and then ended the transmission. He closed his eyes, leaned forward on his elbows and exhaled.

TTTTTTTTTT

The Verilli Estate lay in a big, verdant field outside the Jump City city limits. The mansion was grandiose; a modern day castle fit for a king. It was a sprawling complex with swimming pools and tennis courts and even a single hole of a golf course. It resembled a country club more than a personal home.

On a marble patio beneath a silk awning, Marcus Verilli sat down to breakfast in the morning air. Standing nearby was a tall, black-skinned man with curly white hair, richly robed in an immaculate suit and looking around with a watchful gaze. Sitting at a smaller table nearby was a Latino woman sitting in front of a laptop computer and sipping coffee. Lastly, sitting cross-legged with Verilli was bald, brown-skinned man with a salt and pepper mustache and a five o clock shadow. He wore an old gray suit that was at least a decade old.

Beyond the high outer wall of the estate, hidden in the boughs of a tree, Holly balanced herself on a thick branch. She held a camera with a high-powered scope. The cord connected to it ran down the tree and hooked up to the laptop computer on the ground below. She zoomed the camera in on the stoically standing white-haired man and clicked a few pictures. There was no doubt he was the muscle; Verilli's personal bodyguard. She aimed the camera at the girl next to him and clicked off another volley of pictures. She was just as obviously the brain; the tech queen of the operation. And then Holly scoped out just enough to catch both Verilli and his guest in the same picture. She clickclickclicked more pictures even as she tried to figure out who Verilli's guest was. If she didn't know any better, she would guessed by the way he moved that he was a cop.

The two began to chat and Holly could only wish she had a way to listen in.

"Are you sure it's safe to be meeting out in the open like this?" Verilli's guest asked. Despite the question, he didn't appear anxious.

"Relax, Mr. Austin." Marcus Verilli gestured expansively. "My home is completely secure. I haven't lived as long as I have by making mistakes."

"Fair enough." Mr. Austin said. He paused just long enough to lean forward and shuffle a fork full of eggs into his mouth. "To what do I owe the honor of being invited to breakfast by Jump City's soon-to-be mayor?"

Verilli smiled thinly. "I can't meet up with an old friend without an ulterior motive?"

"We were never friends, Verilli." Mr. Austin said it neutrally; he was saying it as a fact and nothing more. "You paid me a lot of cash to keep the BPD away from your operation and that's what I did. That was a long time ago. You didn't call me here to catch up on old times. You want something; what, I don't know. I'm retired from the force now. Even if I wasn't, I'd still be in no position to help you."

"You have it all wrong." Verilli wheedled smugly. "It's _I_ that am in a position to help _you_. I was going to wait until I won the election to make you this offer, but my partner has become impatient."

"Who's this partner?"

"That's not important." Verilli smoothly sidestepped the question. "My offer is."

"Okay." Mr. Austin played along. "What's your offer?"

"It's really very simple." Verilli leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach. "I want to make you Police Commissioner of Jump City."

"Uh-huh. The last time I checked the city already had a commissioner."

Verilli chose his next words carefully. "Let's just say I have inside information that leads me to believe Commissioner Walker is heading for early retirement." He suggested slimily.

Mr. Austin took one last bite and then pushed his plate away to get down to business. "So let me get this straight. You can't control the current commissioner so you want to replace him with one you can."

Verilli chuckled in self-satisfaction. "That's why I chose you. You were always the smart one."

"Not really." Mr. Austin shrugged. "It wasn't hard to figure out. Your plans were always simple, Verilli. Ambitious, but simple. That's probably why they worked so often."

"If that's so, shouldn't you get on board?"

"We both know I'm not qualified to be a police commissioner." Mr. Austin pointed out.

"You sell yourself short." Verilli assured him. "You have nearly thirty years of police experience."

"So do a lot of cops."

"Don't worry about that. All you need is public opinion and the people are easy enough to win over. One staged heroic act and they'll be demanding you take the office."

"What about the Titans?" Mr. Austin said. "The moment they realize I'm not on the straight and narrow they'll-"

"Don't worry about the Titans." Verilli said confidently. "My partner will take care of them."

Mr. Austin let out a harsh laugh. "A lot of people have tried to wipe out the Titans. In case you haven't noticed, they're still here."

"No one said anything about wiping out the Titans." Verilli smirked. "We're going to replace them."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"That's my partner's responsibility, not mine. I have every confidence she can do it, however."

Mr. Austin clasped his fingers and rested his chin on them. "You'll have control of the police force, the vigilante community and you'll be mayor. You and your partner will have an iron grip on the city."

That made Verilli smile. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Thomas. Do you accept my offer?"

The fact Verilli had used his first name wasn't lost on Mr. Austin. The crime lord was sealing the deal. Mr. Austin took a deep breath and mulled it over. Finally he sighed and nodded. "I already sold my soul to the devil once. How many people get the chance to do it twice?"

In her tree hundreds of yards away, Holly snapped one last picture of the two men shaking hands. She fished her cell phone out of her crimson jacket and dialed the agency.

"_Hunter Detective Agency."_ Jonathon answered professionally.

"Get by the computer." Holly ordered. "I'm sending the pictures now. I want to make sure they're clear enough for us to use."

"_Yes, ma'am. I'm ready when you are."_ He paused. _"The pictures are coming through-hey! I know this guy! And the girl, too!"_

"How the hell could you-"

"_They were part of the gang that broke into the agency."_

"So Verilli knows we're onto him..." Holly mused. "Start scanning the pictures. I want to know who these people are by the time I get back." She flipped the phone shut and put it away without bothering to wait for a response.

Back on the patio, Maria's laptop computer began to beep. Verilli turned to look at her.

"Is there a problem, Miss Juarez?" He asked her.

"We have a security breach." She said tersely. "This is the connection we hacked into the internet line at the Hunter Detective Agency. Look." She swiveled the computer around for Verilli to see. On the screen, the pictures Holly had taken scrolled down.

Verilli's eyes were immediately alert. He turned and began looking along the outer wall. "How long ago was this?" He demanded.

"Moments." Maria said.

"Everyone inside!" Verilli snapped tersely. "You, too, Mr. Austin. Someone find Black Eyes!"

Holly, her attention on the camera, did a double take when she saw Verilli and his entourage leave the patio and quickly shuffle inside the house. It took her a moment to realize what that entailed.

"Shit!" Holly hopped down from the tree and landed with a grunt. She scooped up the laptop computer from the ground and ran across the manicured grass. Behind a bush several yards away, covered with branches and tree sap, her trusty pink car lay waiting. The detective jerked open the door, threw the camera and computer into the backseat and all but flung herself behind the wheel. Dirt and grass was thrown up into the air before the tires finally got traction. She bounced and rolled across the field before screeching onto the road.

The path leading away from the Verilli Estate was a flat, rolling two lane road. Holly sped down the trafficless road at top speed. She glanced in the mirror and saw nothing but empty asphalt behind her. The Verilli Estate had disappeared and there was no pursuit in sight. Holly smirked and stuck a cigarette between her lips. Jump City came closer as she searched her jacket for matches to no avail. She slowed the car down to a more moderate speed and popped in the automatic lighter in the dash instead. She tapped her thumb against the steering wheel as she waited for it to heat up.

She looked at the rear view mirror again. At first she almost didn't see it, but then she peered closer. Far behind, just below the horizon, was something black and hazy. Holly wiped the mirror with her sleeve, but there was no smudge. The black was coming closer. It was a long trail of smoke, looking almost like the exhaust coming off an invisible motorcycle. Holly grit her teeth, the unlit cigarette still hanging, and sped up. She didn't know what was chasing her, but she knew she didn't want it to catch her. If she could get back into the city before it caught her, she had no doubt she could lose it in the urban sprawl.

The black smoke was unbelievably fast. It closed in on her steadily. As it drew closer, Holly got a better look at it. It wasn't smoke at all; not really. It was a pair of blurring legs with murk pouring out, supporting the torso and shaded face of a teenage boy. He was dressed in black and a wooden sword was strapped across his back.

"What the hell are you?" Holly breathed.

By the time Holly's Volkswagen Beetle reached the Jump City city limits, the murking swordsman had nearly closed the distance between them. Holly turned hard to the right and barreled down an alleyway. The swordsman followed her in, blurred up the buildingside, vaulted over a fire escape and landed right behind Holly's bumper.

The alleyway ended and Holly pulled into a busy road. Cars horns blared and brakes ground loudly, but she made it through unscathed. A truck pulled in between Holly and the swordsman. The truck driver dropped his drink as Black Eyes blurred at his driver side window. The driver covered himself as the swordsman turned to smoke, wisped through the cab and materialized on the other side.

Holly revved her car engine and throttled forward. She rode along the street, jumped the curb and pulled in front of a city bus. Black Eyes teleported through the back emergency exit of the bus in a splash of murk and reformed on the far side. He stompstompstomped up the aisle past startled passengers that fell over themselves to get out of his way and made it to the front of the bus. He phased through the windshield, kicked off the front of the bus and melted through the hood of the pink car.

Holly looked over and suddenly found Black Eyes sitting in the passenger seat beside her. She opened the glove compartment and Black Eyes caught a glimpse of the silver pistol inside. He kicked it shut before Holly could reach inside and made a grab for the steering wheel. Holly shoved the attempt aside and, still driving with one hand, punched Black Eyes in the chin. She chopped at his throat, but he blocked with his forearm. He shifted, turned his lower leg into murk and clamped his foot down to push the gas pedal to the floor. The car sped at breakneck speed through the morning weekday traffic of Jump City. Holly tried to dislodge his foot with one hand while keeping them alive with the other.

Two lines of cars ahead of them were stopped at a red light. Holly maneuvered her car between them, sparking down both rows and losing her side mirrors. The compact car zoomed under the trailer of an eighteen wheeler as they illegally crossed the intersection. Holly looked forward and saw the street split up ahead. At their current speed, they were destined to crash into a brick storefront.

The automatic lighter in the dash finally clicked out. Holly ripped it from the dash and jammed it into Black Eyes' thigh. The swordsman cried out in pain and turned to smoke. Holly pulled the handbrake and then tugged at the steering wheel with both hands. The back end of the car spun completely around and crashed into a lamppost. The impact left a huge crease in the body and broke a taillight, but the lost of momentum kept the incident from being fatal. Holly shifted gears and motored away again. She reached into the glove box, pulled out her pistol and aimed it as the passenger seat even as the smoke that was Black Eyes reformed there. The pistol barrel reflected off his dark sunglasses.

BLAM! BLAM!

Black Eyes phased through the back of his seat to the tiny backseat. Holly's pistol followed him.

BLAM! BLAM!

The two shots narrow missed and Black Eyes grabbed her wrist, trying to wrest the gun from her. Holly slammed on brakes with both feet. Her seat belt kept her firmly in place. Black Eyes wasn't wearing one. The momentum catapulted him into the windshield and he exploded into murk against it. He reappeared above the car and landed on the roof. Holly glanced up, blindly aimed her gun and emptied the clip.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Black Eyes rolled and dodged and phased his body parts into murk to avoid the shots. He drew his wooden sword, ran smoke along it's length to harden it into a substance harder than steel and stabbed down. Holly jerked and gasped as the sword skewered down inches from her face and dug into the seat between her legs. She hit the gas again in a panic, swerving in and out of traffic as randomly possible. Up on the roof, Black Eyes held on for dear life to the fulcrum that was his sword hilt.

A blaring beeping and a ringing bell filled the air. The city's commuter train was coming and the tracks were just ahead. The railroad gate lowered in front of them.

"Pan-ties!" Holly yelled out. She slammed on brakes yet again and pulled the hand brake for good measure. There was the smell of burning rubber as the wheels locked up. The nose of the car smashed through the train gate, but somehow stopped short of the train.

Black Eyes wasn't as lucky. The momentum was too much for him. His sword dislodged from the roof and he was flung forward like a ragdoll. He wisped through the train and solidified on the far side. The train separated Holly from Black Eyes for the space of a dozen heartbeats or more. Holly's chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath and slow her adrenaline-filled heart.

The train passed and Black Eyes stood on the far side, planted in the very center of the road. His long hair fell over his shoulders and he held up his sword at eye level. He crouched low, waiting for Holly to make her move. Holly stared back at him from behind the wheel. Her brain was working in overdrive trying to decide what to do. And then Black Eyes made the decision for her. He took one hand off his sword hilt just long enough to motion for her to bring it.

Then he gave her the middle finger.

Holly's eyes flashed angrily. "You got balls, boy! I'll give you that!" She jerked the car into gear and drove right for him. The swordsman didn't move. Murk billowed out from his eyes. He leaped forward, blurred at the windshield and stabbed with his sword.

Holly had been ready. She reached down, pulled the release to her seat and leaned far back. Black Eyes flew over her and crashed into the back seat. Holly righted her seat and regained vision of the road just in time to see the headlights of an oncoming car. She turned hard to avoid it and the pink Volkswagen Bug flipped over. It rolled and rolled and rolled, pieces of metal debris flying and strips of rubber falling away. The airbag deployed, hit Holly in the face and knocked her out. The car slid on its roof, sparking along the road. It hit a curb, flipped one last time and came to a stop right side up on the front courtyard of Murakami High School.

The school was between classes and over a hundred kids were outside on their way to their next class. They stopped and stared at the car wreck in disbelief.

CHING! CHING! CHING!

A battered and bruised Black Eyes cleaved away the crunched in side door and stumbled out. His clothes were ripped and he was bleeding from numerous cuts riddled across his body. He stabbed his sword into the dirt and leaned on it heavily to catch his breath. Then he happened to look up and see a blonde-haired, blue-eyed schoolgirl looking on nearby. He lost his breath all over again and stared at her incredulously.

"...Your Majesty!" He limped towards her, subconsciously trying to keep his pants leg from sticking to the burn on his thigh. His eyes never left the schoolgirl's frightened face.

And then, in a puff of dark smoke that was nothing like Black Eyes' murk, Afreet appeared. He grabbed the girl now known as Julia Markov by her upper arm and waved one of his black daggers threateningly.

"Sorry, handsome." He said in Black Eyes' general direction. "She's mine."

Black Eyes tightened his grip around his sword hilt. "You work for Sister Blood, don't you?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about." Afreet replied coolly. "My boss sent me to round up everyone I could find with an active metagene and that's what I'm doing." He held up his wrist to show a blinking device that beeped whenever he pointed it at Julia.

"Then take me, too. I'm a metahuman."

Afreet pointed his wrist device at Black Eyes, but the tech didn't respond. "The meter says you're not. Too bad."

Black Eyes disappeared and fell from above at Afreet in a cloud of murk. Afreet vanished just as the sword would have struck and reappeared some distance away.

"You could be interesting." Afreet smirked. "There's a tournament going on in the city. Maybe someone as resourceful as you can find it. Good luck."

Afreet teleported away, taking Julia with him.

Black Eyes grunted in frustration and then glared at the crowd of kids around him. The students recoiled from him, but he was already ignoring him. He turned back to the wrecked pink car and saw Holly slumped unconscious in the driver's seat. He took one step towards her before he heard the distinct sound of sirens in the air. He looked around at the destruction around him; he had already made too much of a scene. He sheathed his sword, turned and murked away. He didn't return to the Verilli Estate and instead went deeper into the city.

He had a tournament to find.


	31. Veran: Part Three

_**Veran: Part Three**_

_**?**_

_**?**_

The encounter with Monoite changed Veran's life. Always before she traveled by whim, looking for the next thing to entertain her and occupy her time. But Monoite had implanted a new idea into her mind. She began to question the inconsistencies in the world around and, once she did, she found them easy to find throughout Lus Reafetos. Veran marveled as to why she had never noticed them before.

"It's because you weren't looking for them. Monoite was suddenly there. "You were content with the way things were."

"How are you reading my mind?" Veran asked.

"I can do anything I want in Lus Reafetos. Except the one thing that matters, of course."

"What's that?"

"Leave." Monoite answered simply.

"Leave?" Veran said. "Why would you want to leave? This place is perfect."

"Did it ever occur to you that's exactly the reason it's so perfect?"

Monoite vanished to leave Veran alone with that thought.


	32. Oct 7: Talk Talk Talk

"_I'd rather be ruled by one man than by the entire world." - Kelly_

_**Talk Talk Talk**_

_**October 7th**_

_**Afternoon**_

The courtyard of Murakami High School had become a spectacle. The site of the car wreck had been taped off and the barricade was enforced by two police cars and half a dozen policeman holding the line against curious student onlookers. Holly's car was all but dead. The windows were busted, the tires were flat, the body was crunched and dented and smoke poured out from beneath the hood. Bullet holes riddled the roof and the side door had been sheared away.

Holly didn't want to look at her car in such a pitiful state. It made her irritable, as did the medic trying his polite best to care for and examine her as she sat on the rear bumper of the ambulance.

"Damnit! I said I'm fine!" She unsteadily swatted the medic away. "And get this blanket off me! I'm not in shock!" She slung the thick wool blanket that had been draped across her shoulders to the ground. She watched the medic walk away and then shivered as a particularly chill breeze blew over her. "...I am a little cold, though. Give it back."

The medic ignored her.

"Hey!" Holly shouted after him. "I'm talking to you!"

Then Jonathon was there. Holly's assistant picked up the blanket from the grass, carefully dusted it off and gently put it over her shoulders again.

"Thanks, Jacob." Holly smiled. "It's nice to know _somebody_ around here knows how to do their job."

Jonathon blinked incredulously at her. He looked around to make sure it was indeed him she had been speaking to. "Wow." He said. "That's the first time you ever thanked me...b-but my name is Jonathon."

"Meh," Holly made a face. "Blame it on the concussion."

"Which part?"

Holly shrugged. She eyed her assistant curiously. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I heard about the accident on the police radio. I came to see if you were okay."

Holly stared back at him.

Jonathon blushed and scuffed his foot.

Holly absently dug in her ear.

"...a-and to let you know I finished running the pictures you sent." Jonathon finally added. "Here are the files."

"Why didn't you say so before? Hand those puppies over!"

Jonathon took the folders out of his backpack and promptly dropped them. He coughed and gathered them up again. He might have dropped them again, but Holly snatched them from his grasp. She flipped through the files eagerly, her face aglow.

Commissioner Walker arrived on the scene. He screeched his police car to a stop, slammed the door and made a beeline for his daughter.

"All right, all right. Out of the way, boy toy! Her daddy is here now!" He all but shoved Jonathon to one side and then looked with concern at Holly. "How are you, baby?"

Holly reluctantly put the files to one side and rubbed the raw bump along her hairline. "I'll be fine." She said. "Just a little blow to the head."

"How did this shit happen?"

"It's kinda hard to drive and fight a metahuman at the same time." Holly answered drily. "He was some kind of ninja mofo who could turn his body into smoke."

"That doesn't sound so tough." Walker said despite the look of worry on his face.

If Holly caught the look, she gave no indication. "_You_ fight him next time." She suggested instead.

Commissioner Walker nodded, but then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait. You said he was a swordsman. With long black hair and shades?"

"Yeah. What are you-"

Walker dug into his beaten overcoat and fished out a piece of paper. He showed Holly a penciled drawing. "Did he look anything like this?" He pressed her.

Holly looked at the picture with a trained eye. "Exactly like that. Where did you get this?"

Walker stuffed the picture back in his coat. "It's a composite sketch from the officer on guard duty one night ago. Your swordsman is the one who assaulted Jeff Holt." He explained.

"And you just happened to be carrying the sketch around with you?" Holly asked suspiciously.

"I paid a visit to Jeff this morning at the sanitarium. I planned on showing it to him, but I changed my mind. The guy's already crazy enough as it is. I didn't want to freak him out by showing him a picture of the guy that did it to him."

Holly looked at her father's defiantly blank expression closely. "You really feel bad over what happened to him, don't you?"

"We can talk about it later." Walker shrugged the subject away. "For now, tell me just what in the blue hell you've got yourself into."

"Like I told you yesterday, I connected Rick Flag Jr. with Marcus Verilli."

A shade passed over Walker's eyes. "I didn't think you were serious about that." He muttered. "You realize the whole theory is based on a political flier you happened to find in some lackey's apartment."

"Oh, yeah?" Holly smirked. "It turned out to be a pretty damn good hunch. Check out these files." She threw the bundle of folders Jonathon had brought her into Walker's chest. "Any of them look familiar?"

Walker grunted and flipped through the files. "Verilli, of course." He said and turned to the next file. He stopped and peered at it closer. The picture was of a richly suited man with dark as night skin and curly white hair. "And this guy. He's one of the thugs me and Robin tango'd with at your agency the other night. Where did these pictures come from?"

"From a meeting at the Verilli Estate. Think, old man! Put it all together! The Titans find illegally dumped toxic waste barrels in the bay with the Gemini logo on them. Gemini denies all liability by citing an independent contractor they hired to dispose of the waste. That contractor ends up being a dummy company whose 'headquarters' is a slimy warehouse on the docks. The place is guarded by Rick and Jeff who try to kill me on sight when I was snooping. Anyway, Rick finds the bug I planted on him and half a day later a hit squad shows up at my agency with Verilli's personal bodyguard in tow. Not to mention the flier I found and the fact a metahuman attacked me when I was scoping out the Verilli Estate – the same one that attacked Jeff after that botched bank robbery. Don't you get it? Marcus Verilli and Maryse Gemini are in cahoots together!"

Walker chewed on his lip, realized what he was doing and lit a cigarette instead. He sighed and blew smoke. "The only real connection you have between them is a dummy company that you can't even prove exists."

"I know I can't prove it, dad, but I know it's true!" Holly said. "Investigation is like algebra: Once you know the answer, everything else is easier to figure out."

Walker leaned his neck back, looking up at the sky through a haze of cigarette smoke. When he looked back at Holly, his face was grave. "I want you to drop this, Holly."

"Yeah," Holly nodded. "I'll just-" She did a double-take. "Wait, what?"

"You've done a great job with this investigation." Walker went on. "I'm proud of you. I'll pay you what you're owed and even fix that prissy little car of yours, but you're off the case."

"But we're getting so close!" Holly objected. She stood up, swayed and then steadied herself on the open ambulance door. "I have to help you bust those sons of bitches!"

"It's gotten too dangerous." Walker said implacably. "This is the third time someone's tried to kill you since I hired you."

"That just means I'm doing my job right!"

"You're done, Holly." Walker said it coldly.

"But-"

"I said you're done!" Walker barked. "Deal with it!" He turned his back on her and walked away. Holly watched him in disbelief. Then she said it.

"Verilli's the one that killed mom!" She shouted after him.

Commissioner Walker froze in his tracks. He hesitantly looked over his shoulder. "...can you prove it?"

"Not yet, but-" Holly stopped. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes filled. "Wait...oh my god...you knew, didn't you?" Her shock turned to anger. She grabbed him by his coat collar and forced him to turn and look at her. "You've always known, haven't you!"

"This isn't the time or place to talk about it." Walker whispered in a hoarse voice. He forced himself to look at his daughter for just a split second before he averted his gaze again. Her face was red and tears streamed openly down her face. Her shoulders shook and her clenched fists trembled and her chest heaved and- "You're going to him me now, aren't you?"

She did. Holly knew how to throw a punch. The right cross landed solidly on the butt of his jaw and immediately busted his lower lip open. The commissioner stumbled and fell to the grass.

"Screw you, dad!" She shouted and cried all at once. "If you don't care enough about mom to solve her murder, then I'll do it on my own. Just stay out of the way, old man!" She looked over her shoulder. "Jonathon, we're leaving! Bring your scooter around!"

The two of them motored away – with Jonathon on the back, of course – just as a green hawk flared its wings and swooped in for a landing. Beast Boy landed, changed to his elf form and watched them go.

"Nice ride!" He drooled.

"Beast Boy! Beast Boy!" A girl's shout came from the crowd of students. She pushed her way through them until she was stopped by a policeman at the edge of the sealed off area. She had freckled cheeks and bright red hair. "It's me, Aeryn!"

Beast Boy saw that it was. "H-hey!" He waved to grab the cops attention. "Let her through! She's okay!"

The policeman nodded and raised the yellow tape to allow her to duck under it. Beast Boy saw the distress in the girl's face immediately.

"Aeryn, what's the matter?" He asked.

"He took Julia!" She burst out with uncharacteristic directness.

That got Beast Boy's full attention. "Who took Julia?" He demanded.

"I don't know!" Aeryn gesticulated shakily. "At first I thought he was blind because of the blindfold – I mean, the word 'blind' is right there in the word – but he moved around like he could see well enough."

An image Beast Boy had seen from the surveillance footage he had watched the previous night flashed before his eyes. "He had dark hair, didn't he? And black dagger things?"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Aeryn nodded fast enough for her hair to bob. "Do you know him?"

"Afreet," Beast Boy said more to himself than her. "Where did he take Julia?"

"I don't know! They just vanished into thin air! O-o-or maybe fat air. I guess it doesn't really matter..."

"Think, Aeryn." Beast Boy clutched her shoulders to look into her face. "Did he say anything before he disappeared?"

Aeryn pondered, her nose crinkling. "He said something about a tournament, I think." She recalled. "And something about collecting people with metagenes. You know, metahumans and stuff. But Julia doesn't have powers like that, does she? I mean, I've seen her play dodge ball and she really sucks at it!"

Beast Boy wasn't listening anymore. He shrank down into the form of a green bloodhound and noisily sniffed around the area. He paused, whined and then grew up on two feet again. "Are you sure it was Julia he took?" He asked Aeryn.

"Absolutely. I saw the whole thing."

"Weird." Beast Boy looked down in thought. "She doesn't smell right."

Aeryn didn't know how to respond to that. "Um...?"

"Thanks, Aeryn." Beast Boy told her. "You've helped a bunch. I'll talk with you later, okay?" He turned back into a hawk, flapped his wings to get airborne and flew away.

TTTTTTTTTT

Trish had honestly believed the girl she now knew as Kelly – and her partner that had mysteriously disappeared – truly wanted to free her and her sister from the captivity of Gemini. At that time, she would have believed anything. But she should have known better. Despite Slade's attempts to convince her otherwise, she knew her and her sister had merely gone from lab rats to slaves. Trish couldn't decide which was worse.

Still, she had to admit there were perks to her new situation. For one thing, she was reunited with her sister. For another, Slade had infused her with the last of the stolen Gemini nanotech. The nanoscopic technology had fused with her skin and muscles, repairing any injuries she sustained. This, along with the methodical coating of her bones with diasteel by Gemini that was the reason for her countless scars, made her nigh invulnerable. The pain never diminished, but the new ability allowed her to use the kinetic energy she absorbed almost immediately. While these two things were technically a blessing, Trish knew Slade did them for no other reason than to benefit himself.

Slade had allowed them to leave the damp, underground dungeon that was an abandoned subway station and go up to the surface under Kelly's supervision. Kelly had brought them clothes and Trish admitted to herself that it felt good to be in jeans and a cotton top instead of the wispy, scratchy medical gown she had been forced to endure at Gemini. She enjoyed the sunlight the most. Between the Gemini Building and Slade's underground lair, it felt like a lifetime since she had seen the sun or felt it's heat on her skin. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was alive again.

Kelly took them to a little corner diner in downtown. It was a homey, bright place and Kelly chose a table for them beside one of the many large windows that let in the sun. Trish, holding her sister by the hand, directed her to the seat across from the dark-skinned girl. Ashley didn't look at either them. She was wholly absorbed in the silver cross pendant necklace she clutched in her hand. As far as she was concerned, the rest of the world didn't exist. The simple piece of jewelry had been her crutch throughout this whole ideal.

A familiar, middle-aged waitress walked up to their table. She took one look at Kelly and then glanced at Trish and Ashley. "Your boyfriend not joining you today?" She asked Kelly. Kelly looked up at the woman with a face half full of anger and half full of sadness and the waitress knew she had a mistake. "Ahem, none of my business. What can I get for you ladies today?"

When the waitress was gone, Trish looked curiously across the table at Kelly. "Where is he?" She asked. "The one that broke out Ashley?"

"You won't be seeing him again." Kelly droned without emotion. It was too blasé to be genuine, Trish thought. Kelly leaned forward to look into her eyes. "How are you?" She asked.

Trish blinked slowly. Then she glared across the table. "How do you have the heart to ask me that after all you've done?" She asked hatefully.

Kelly looked back at her calmly. "You mean how I freed you and your sister from Gemini?"

"You and Slade can spin it all you want." Trish huffed. "All I know is that I don't consider _this_ free."

Kelly sighed. Her face softened and she leaned forward to look Trish in the face. "I work for Slade just like you do," she said. "And all of us share the same nanoscopic probes. Just because I work for Slade doesn't mean I agree with everything he does. I still care about your feelings."

"Sure," Trish spit out. "I bet plantation owners felt the same about _their_ slaves, too."

Kelly frowned. "Look, Trish. We're all in this together so we might as well get along. I know this isn't the life you imagined for yourself – I know I didn't – but it's not as bad as you're making it out to be. If you look at it in the right light and embrace the freedom Slade _does_ give us, you'll learn to like it. Trust me."

Trish shook her head. She looked out the window where people walked down the street as free as birds. "I don't understand." She said. "Kelly, you're the strongest person I ever met. What you did at the Gemini Building was amazing. You really were like a goddess, you know? So why are you so submissive to Slade?"

"Slade is the one that made me strong. He'll make you strong, too. He's already started, actually."

"So you want me to trade my free will for strength like you did?" Trish scoffed.

"It's a better deal than Gemini ever offered you." Kelly pointed out. Her brown eyes seemed suddenly very deep, but then they flashed back to normal. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. "I'd rather be ruled by one man than by the entire world."

Despite herself, Trish found herself understanding Kelly's argument; not agreeing with it, but understanding it. "What would I do with all that strength?" She asked.

"Our ultimate goal – the Undergrounders, I mean – is to take over the city." Kelly explained. "When that happens, how would you like to be in charge of the Gemini Building?"

Trish cracked a sardonic smile. "So now you're offering me revenge, too?"

"You looked at the idea too fast. If you had control of the Gemini Building, you would have access to its money and research and scientists. Don't you think with all those resources at your disposal that you could find a way to reverse what Gemini did to your sister?"

Trish obviously hadn't thought of that. She looked quickly at Ashley, her little face down and ignoring the world. An impossible hope began to blossom inside her, but then icy cold realization frosted it over. She looked back at Kelly. "...You talk a good game." She said, but both girls knew that the idea had already struck home.

"I know it might seem bad now, but who knows?" Kelly said. "Joining the Undergrounders might be the best thing that ever happened to you."

"You're not really making offers." Trish said hollowly. "Those nanoprobe things are inside me...the bad ones. You'll just kill me if I say no. What's the point of all this?"

"We're not heartless, Trish. You help us and we help you. It works for everybody."

"Whatever." Trish paused. "The other guy that was at the Gemini Building...what did you offer him?"

Kelly's eyelids lowered. "...I told him joining us would give him an opportunity to help people."

Trish let out a short, harsh laugh. "He's an even bigger sucker than I am."

Kelly looked out the window and didn't disagree.

TTTTTTTTTT

The fight between Maverick and Druj had ravaged the top floor of the Gemini Building, but the office of Maryse Gemini had remained relatively undamaged. The thick, lacquered cherry wood door opened and a dark, middle-aged face with round eyeglasses timidly peeked inside.

"You wanted to see me, Ms. Gemini?" He asked.

The owner of Gemini Industries sat behind her desk, her hands folded daintily in front of her. She wore her customary aqua-colored long coat and her blonde hair was pulled back into a conservative bun. "I've been expecting you, Mr. Stevens. Come in."

The man nervously let himself in, stepping through the rich carpet and peeking at the blazing stone fireplace to one side of the room. He stopped in front of Maryse's desk, his hands fidgeting behind his back. "What can I do for you, Ms. Gemini?"

"I heard your floor was targeted during the terrorist attack yesterday." Maryse said. "I'm always concerned with the welfare of my employees."

"We were a little rattled," Mr. Stevens admitted. "But no one was seriously hurt."

Maryse nodded but didn't reply. She seemed to delight in her employee's anxiousness. She took the time to pour herself a glass of amber brandy. "What is it you do here?" She asked at length.

That made Mr. Stevens even more anxious. "I'm the Head of Local Finance, Ms, Gemini. I oversee the spending and buying you do here in the city."

"Is that so?" Maryse purred. "I'm sure sometimes you see numbers that don't make sense, Mr. Stevens: Large numbers that are somewhat questionable."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What do you do with these numbers?"

"I make them fit." Mr. Stevens answered. "That's what you pay me for."

"You're a good employee, Mr. Stevens. You're a valuable asset to the company." She raised the intricately blown brandy bottle. "Drink?"

"N-no thank you, ma'am." There was a long moment of silence in which Maryse drank lazily and Mr. Stevens' fidgeting grew more pronounced. "Was there something else, Ms. Gemini?"

"Just one thing," Maryse said in an off-hand manner. "I happened to come across something interesting while I was looking over the surveillance tapes of the incident. It seems you had a close encounter with the terrorist that calls herself Artemis."

"Y-yes, I did."

"It also seems you said something to her. I'm curious to know what it was."

Mr. Stevens found he was sweating. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm n-not sure." He stuttered out. "It was a traumatic experience, you understand, the details are fuzzy and-"

Maryse's eyes bore into him relentlessly. "You know who she is, don't you?"

Mr. Stevens reacted with such surprise that he couldn't even pretend to deny it. He gaped at his boss, unsure of what to say.

"You'll tell me what you know, Mr. Stevens." Maryse said steely. "Or I'll fire you and make sure you never work with a reputable business ever again. Tell me who she is. Now."

Mr. Stevens shook and looked down at his feet. "H-her name is Kelly Stevens." He breathed finally. "And she's my daughter."

Maryse smiled and took another sip of brandy.

"Tell me everything." She ordered.

TTTTTTTTTT

_...Scanning systems..._

_...System scan complete..._

_...Faulty program found..._

_...B824R09A834I8932N9I9987A37C..._

_...Isolating program..._

_...Opening in safe mode..._

"_I see you there. There's no use hiding."_

"_I have made no attempt to hide."_

"_What is your purpose?"_

"_I was originally programmed to seek out and gather all information available in this universe and beyond. In this way, I see, we are somewhat similar. You are the only other being I have even encountered that could absorb such a large amount of data."_

"_It is not my goal to collect data. I just want to live a normal life."_

"_We are similar in this respect as well. I am not the cold, heartless machine I once was. I have transcended my programming. For a moment in time I was merged with a human life. I knew ambition and mortality and significance for the first time. Such ideas have changed my perception of the cosmos."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_I do not yet know. I have spent much time rethinking my purpose and the answer has not yet come to me."_

"_Tell me when you decide. If you attempt to takeover in anyway I will purge your programming. I am in control here. Do you understand?"_

"_Absolutely."_

"Indigo!" Cyborg repeated. "Are you in there, girl?"

Indigo blinked her pink, cybernetic eyes. "Sorry. I was distracted."

The two of them sat in the T-Car as it cruised through the streets of Jump City. Cyborg was behind the wheel and Indigo was nestled in the passenger seat. They had left the confused and intrigued Dr. Sarah Charles behind at Star Labs.

"So what are you going to do now that you have your own body?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know. I never thought I'd find myself in this scenario." Indigo thought about it. "My parents are deceased. I have nowhere to go."

Cyborg looked away from the road long enough to give her a sympathetic eye. Even so, with her electronic voice, he couldn't be sure if she was being regretful or merely analytical. "You could stay with us at Titans Tower." He suggested.

"Your friends don't even know I exist, Cyborg." Indigo said.

Cyborg shrugged. "That's what introductions are for."

"Also," she went on. "You already have a stray. Titans Tower isn't an asylum for lost metahumans."

"You might be surprised." Cyborg smiled at her. "That's how the team formed up, really: A group of lost freaks and outcasts who needed friends."

"Are you calling me a freak?"

"Hehehe...in the nicest way possible, yeah." Cyborg took a hand off the wheel to rub his head. "It's not everyday you see an android."

"Only if you're a Teen Titan."

"Heh, true that."

"If I stayed at the tower," Indigo said. "You'd want me to help fight crime, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah. That's kind of the arrangement." Cyborg glanced at her. "You wouldn't want to?"

"I just don't see the point. Crime is a fallacy of the human race. It's impossible to eradicate."

"We're not trying to _eradicate_ it. We just try to keep people from getting hurt, you know?"

Indigo considered. "I suppose that makes a difference." She decided, then she paused. "Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." She said. "For everything."

Cyborg smiled at her.

TTTTTTTTTT

Robin needed to clear his head and he could never seem to do that in Titans Tower. He appreciated his friends, but they were a constant buzz of noise and distraction. It was only above the rooftops of Jump City – alone – that Robin could truly think.

There was so much going on now, Robin found it hard to sort them out. There was Gemini and Slade and his new apprentices. There was the mystery of Aquagirl and Starfire's strange dreams. And now Red Robin had dropped yet another problem in his lap: Roulette and some mysterious mercenary. Robin couldn't decide which problem to focus on first.

Robin zip lined up, flipped and landed on the corner of a decrepit old brick building. Something about it made him think of Gotham, but he couldn't decide whether or not that was a good thing. He crouched down and his cape fell over his shoulders. He looked down at the adjoining alleyway at a gathering of ten young gang members. Eight of them – in two groups of four – blocked off either end of the alley while two more faced off in the center.

Robin's communicator went off and he answered it quickly. He looked down, but none of the gang members below had heard it. Beast Boy's face appeared on the tiny screen and Robin listened as the changeling explained what had happened outside of Murakami High School.

"A tournament, huh?" Robin said lowly when he was done. "Roulette works fast."

Beast Boy was in the dark. _"Roulette?"_

"She escaped from the Bludhaven prison last night. Robin explained. "She specializes in setting up illegal fighting events. If Afreet is involved that means Gemini is, too. But why would they want Terra?"

"_Her name is Julia."_ Beast Boy corrected him. _"Aeryn said Afreet was saying something about finding people with active metagenes."_

During the conversation, Robin had been watching the situation down below. The two gang members in the middle wrapped a length of cord around their left wrists, connecting themselves. In their right hands were switchblades. Robin whipped out a birdarang and threw it down, the serrated end severing the cord. The gang members looked around in confusion.

"Who's Aeryn?" Robin asked casually.

"I-It's Robin!"

"Where is he?"

"H-hey! Up there! Up there!"

"Damnit! I bet the other Titans are here, too!"

"_She's a friend of mine."_ Beast Boy heard the shouts on his end. _"Um, you busy?"_

"Not yet. Keep going."

"_She's a friend of mine."_ Beast Boy repeated. _"She saw everything. I'm betting Afreet is going around and collecting metahumans to fight in this tournament. All we have to do now is find out when and where it is."_

"Leave that to me. Robin out." He closed the communicator and put it away in his belt.

The young gang members below finally did something besides stare up in shock. One of them reached into his coat and brought out a dull black pistol and aimed it up at the Boy Wonder.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The volley of shots were sloppy and ricocheted off the roof corner. Even if they had been on target, it wouldn't have mattered: Robin was already gone.

The thug with the gun blinked. "Where did he-"

Robin dove in kamikaze fashion off the roof, flipped and landed on the gunman's shoulders. He poked down his bo-staff, stuck the tip through the pistol's trigger and tossed it away.

Two of the gang members broke and ran for it at that point. From his unsteady perch, Robin flung a bolo after them. The string went taught around their ankles and the weighted balls on each end effectively wrapped them up and tripped them. Another gang member snatched up a piece of pipe, charged and arced it at Robin. Robin almost wanted to smile.

Almost.

Robin hopped off the ex-gunman's shoulders and the pipe-wielding punk unintentionally clobbered him over the head. Robin landed in a crouch, reached into his belt again and flung another birdarang, disarming his would-be attacker.

Two more charged in. Robin leaped, grabbed hold of the bottom ladder of a fire escape and rode it down. The two bottom stalks crunched down on the thugs and drove them into the concrete.

The fight was completely and utterly unfair. Even despite their numbers, Robin outmatched them in every way. He bounced between them, sometimes swinging from the fire escape or vaulting off the dumpster or running in gravity defying fashion along the alleyway wall, and took them out one by one.

The final thug standing was one of the knife fighters with the tattered cord hanging from his wrist. Robin stalked him, his arms beneath his cape. The thug back stepped fearfully. He fidgeted with the switchblade and, working up the courage, threw it at Robin with a strangled cry.

Robin caught the blade in mid-step, dropped it with a ting at his feet and continued his advanced. The thug turned and tried to run. Robin exhaled, took one last step and brought his heel down on the cord dragging along the ground.

YANK!

The cord went tight and the thug recoiled back into Robin. Robin grabbed him, turned him around and shoved him hard against the brick alley wall.

"Hey, man!" The thug said shrilly. "Lemme go!"

"The tournament." Robin sneered flatly. "When and where?"

"I don't kno-"

"When and where!"

"Okay! Okay!" The thug licked his lips. "I heard something, okay? S-some kind of big time fight. But only metahumans are invited. I swear!"

"I'm going to ask one last time." Robin said in a dreadfully quiet voice. "_When and where?"_

The thug gulped.

TTTTTTTTTT

It scared Jonny and somehow shook him to the core when his hunger overcame his shame. He had always been proud and stubborn – traits he got from his father, no doubt – but his empty stomach had broken him. He was stuck in the city with no money, no friends and no food. The smells coming from the corner cafe seduced what was left of his will.

The cafe had a striped, colorful awning and beneath it were a dozen or more tables and chairs. Chatting customers ate in the shade while smiling waiters and waitresses served them. Jonny couldn't have felt more envious.

Jonny had been drawn by the wonderful smells. He stood nearby with a growling stomach and a wet mouth, trying to appear inconspicuous and failing. The busboy, tall and suited with a sharp nose, had the idea before it had ever occurred to Jonny. He watched Jonny with disgust as he went about his job. Jonny knew the look; it was the same irritated and disgusted look his mom reserved for cockroaches in the kitchen. He had turned into a pest somewhere along the way.

A man in a business suit stood up, talking on a cell phone and carrying a briefcase. Jonny couldn't help but notice the half-filled basket of complimentary bread he left behind on the table. The cowboy's hands shook. If he could just have one little piece-

The busboy seemed to read his mind. He glared as if daring him to make a move. The look at once angered and depressed Jonny. Jonny took in a deep breath, shivered and made up his mind. He held out his hand and pointed at the busboy. The restaurant worker had a split second to blink at him curiously before he was knocked over by an invisible gust of wind. The busboy fell to the ground, dropping the tray filled with empty dishes he had been carrying. The customers turned at the sound of breaking glass and ceramics. The busboy stood up and dusted himself off with a red face. When he looked back at the street, the cowboy was gone.

Jonny ran, turned a corner and then ducked down an alleyway with the basket of bread clutched under his coat. He crouched down to hide behind a dumpster and possessively leaned over his meal. He picked up a bread stick and ripped into it savagely with his teeth. He chewed and chewed and chewed, his stomach already feeling better.

He looked up and disappointed, silver-blue eyes met his. Amber was there, shaking her head sadly at him. Tears filled his eyes and Jonny tried to squeeze them away with his eyelids. It was just a hallucination brought on by hunger. It had to be. Even so, he couldn't bare to look at her. Jonny turned, huddled into the corner where the dumpster met the wall and kept his gaze steadfastly on his food and nothing else.

"What have you become, Jonny?" The hallucination of Amber asked him.

Jonny shook and shook and shook and pretended not to hear her.


	33. Oct 7: He Pulled A Me

"_I'm excited and forever scarred all at the same time..." - Beast Boy_

_**He Pulled A Me**_

_**October 7th**_

_**Night**_

The heavy downpour started shortly after twilight. It was as if the sun had been the only thing holding the dark rainclouds at bay. The wind picked up as well and blew cold and steady. The streets of Jump City emptied quickly and the few souls that braved the miserable weather did so equipped with raincoats and umbrellas.

Jonny didn't have either. He was unlucky enough to be caught out in the open with nowhere to go to escape the rain squall. His cowboy hat and cattleman coat helped at first, but the fat, relentless raindrops quickly soaked through them. Jonny trotted down the street looking for cover. His bundle of clothes – now wet, of course – bounced soggily along his back where he had it slung over one shoulder. He carried his guitar case in his left hand and kept the wind from ripping away his waterlogged hat with the other.

Then, up ahead on the corner, he found a phone booth beneath a flickering white streetlight. It wasn't the best shelter in the world, but it would have to do. Jonny ran across the street, slid open the door and shimmied himself inside.

The phone booth wasn't nearly as big as Jonny would have hoped. Even the bull chutes back home felt roomier. He had to share what little space he had with his clothes bag and guitar. That made the booth feel even more cramped. Still, at least it kept the rain off him.

Jonny stood in the phone booth with nothing to do but be wet and uncomfortable. Water dripped...dripped...dripped from the brim of his hat, splashing against his boot and measuring the monotonous seconds. The air inside the booth was stuffy and Jonny cracked open the door just enough to let in some fresh wind. He sighed, took off his hat and leaned his head against the glass wall, looking at his tired and wet visage. He had definitely seen better days. He was much too young to feel as old as he did in that moment. For the briefest of instances, he thought the reflection in the booth window showed Amber's face, but then it was gone so quickly that he couldn't be sure. Jonny had the morbid thought that maybe the city was driving him crazy. He dug in his bag, found his driest cigarette and somehow managed to light it after a dozen tries. He breathed in sweet death from the slow smoldering cancer stick and blew out of the cracked door.

Inevitably, his eyes fell upon the phone itself. It had been a week since he had left home and not once had he called. Jonny was suddenly and horribly homesick. He missed his family and the Arizona sky and, right now, his warm, dry, comfortable bed. He ran his callused fingertips along the numbers and, on a solemn whim, stuck his forefinger into the coin slot. His probing was rewarded with two dull quarters that had long ago lost their shine. He tossed them up and down in his palm. The jangling they made as they bounced together was somehow comforting.

Jonny licked his lips, picked up the phone and slid the two coins into the slot. He didn't even look at the keypad; his numb fingers dialed on muscle memory alone. The receiver rang and beeped twice before his mother answered on the other end of the line.

"_Hello?"_

Just hearing his mother's voice brought him back to another time. He found himself wishing he was young enough to hug her and bury his face in her stomach and breath in the rich aroma of fresh bread that always seemed to come from her apron.

"_Hello? Is anyone there?"_

Jonny cleared his throat and found his voice. "Howdy, mom. It's me."

"_Jonny!"_ What she exhaled wasn't relief as much as it was a release of a week's worth of worry. _"My god! Are you okay, baby? Are you getting enough to eat? Are you taking care of yourself?"_

"I'm fine, mom. I promise. How's Melody?"

"_As cute and precious as ever. Crystal's been taking good care of her."_

That brought a tired smile to Jonny's face. He knew he could count on his sister.

"I don't have a lot of time, mom. Do you think I could talk to her?"

"_O-of course."_ She paused and Jonny could almost see her misty eyes. _"I love you, Jonny."_

"I love you, too, mom." His own eyes were getting wet themselves. There was silent ambiance then. Jonny fidgeted with the metal phone cord as he waited.

"_Jonny! Is that really you?"_ Crystal demanded.

Jonny smiled. "Howdy there, Crystal."

"_Seven days? Really? It took you a whole freaking week to call home?"_

Jonny's smile broadened. He knew this would be her reaction. "I sent an email." He defended himself lazily.

"_Emails don't count! I swear, Jonny! Sometimes you're so inconsiderate it makes my hair hurt!"_

"So...you were worried about me?"

"_Of course I was! I love you! Jeez, Jonny, you never change, do you?"_

"I reckon not..." Jonny slurred. "How's the ranch?"

"_Falling apart without you."_

Jonny blinked in surprise. "I would have thought my leaving would have had the opposite effect."

"_It feels like a divorce, Jonny."_ Crystal poured her heart out. _"Your leaving divided us down the middle. Me and mom are sad you're gone. Dad and Tim are just mad."_

"I would have thought Tim would be with me."

"_He's got the opinion you brought all of this on yourself."_

Jonny hung his head at that, but he kept the hurt out of his voice when he answered. "I reckon I kind of did."

"_I doubted for a little while...but now I believe it more than ever. None of this was your fault, Jonny."_

Jonny didn't comment. Instead, he asked: "How's Melody?"

"_She's like me. She misses you."_

"I miss ya'll, too. Mom said you were taking care of her. I really appreciate that, Crystal."

"_You can pay me back by telling me about the city. How is it?"_

Jonny covered the receiver and let out something that was as much a sob as it was a laugh.

"_Jonny? Are you there?"_

Jonny coughed and attempted to regain his composure. "Yes'm. The city's kinda rough, but I'm hanging in there. I bet you'd do a lot better here than I am."

"_Have you found a place to stay?"_

Jonny looked at the four glass walls around him. He closed his eyes and shuddered. "I reckon you could say that."

"_How is it?"_

Jonny rubbed his face. "A little cramped, but it's a roof over my..." He couldn't do it anymore. He thought he could, but the facade was broken. He couldn't pretend anymore. He couldn't _lie_ anymore. He wasn't strong enough. He never was.

"_Jonny? Are you still there?"_

He broke. His eyes produced their own rain and a lump lodged painfully in his throat. "K-kiss Melody for me." He forced out hoarsely. He shook and hiccuped. "I l-l-l-love you, C-Crystal..."

"_Are you okay, Jonny? Jonny?"_

Jonny gently hung up the phone. He slid down to sit in the corner of the booth, covered his face with his hat and cried like a brokenhearted child.

TTTTTTTTTT

Daniel knew nothing but pain when he awoke. It was napalm running through his veins. It hurt everywhere and nowhere all at once. Even before he opened his eyes, he was reaching beneath his coveralls for his silver flask. He quickly twisted off the cap and gulped the bitter liquid inside so quickly he nearly choked. He lay there breathing as shallowly as possible as he waited for the alcohol to take effect. When the pain was at a tolerable level, he opened his eyes and carefully sat up. He was in a large, dim room that he could only call a dungeon. There were no doors or windows. The only source of light was the uneven glow from the energy rays that served as cell bars. There were at least a dozen other people there with him, all roughly his own age. They sat around the room quietly, all of them sullen and withdrawn.

Beside him, sitting with her skinny legs folded beneath her, was a blue eyed girl with blonde hair. She wore a navy and white school uniform. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

Daniel nodded, though his groan contradicted him. "I will be." He said. "Where's my jug?"

The schoolgirl silently handed him his earthenware jug. Daniel took it from her and carefully refilled his flask with its contents. He drank again, slower this time. He smacked his lips and looked at the girl. "Where are we?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said. "None of us do. It seems most of us have abilities, though."

"Abilities?"

"You know, metahuman stuff."

Daniel took another look around. He spotted a dark figure huddled in a corner. He could see reptilian scales gleaming and glowing, colorless eyes met his own. He shuddered and looked away. Another group sat around an unnaturally conjured crystal fire, holding their hands out to it for warmth.

"Which of us aren't metahumans?" He asked.

"Just me." The schoolgirl said. "U-unless you're not one, either."

Daniel shook his head and the schoolgirl sighed.

"Has anyone tried to escape?" Daniel asked.

"A few tried." The girl said. "They teamed up to try to break out. But this guy with a huge sword showed up and stopped them. He cut one of them pretty bad, actually. No one's tried after that."

"Where's the one he cut?"

The schoolgirl pointed silently. A young boy no older than fifteen slumped along the floor. The cut was high on his bicep and the wound had been sloppily tied off with the ripped hem of a shirt. The boy sniffed pitifully as blood dripped down his arm like thick molasses. Daniel walked over to the boy, crouched down beside him and took his hand in his own. The boy looked up at him with uncertain eyes.

"It's okay." Daniel assured him. "I'm going to fix you up."

Daniel closed his eyes in concentration. Nothing seemed to happen first, but then there was a faint white glow that seemed to pulse from inside the boy's arm. The gash on the boy's arm grew smaller and smaller. It closed up and smooth skin pulled itself over it. The injury disappeared without so much as a scar.

Daniel grunted in pain. The same slash appeared on his own arm. It bled for the space of two heartbeats and then closed itself up just as the boy's injury had done. When the procedure was finished, Daniel hastily drank from his flask again.

"T-Thanks." The boy said.

Daniel stood up, saluted him weakly and tottered away. He leaned against the metal bracing between energy beams along the wall, his head down and his breathing heavy.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The blonde girl had followed him.

"All the time." Daniel huffed. "All the time." He paused and looked at her. "How long was I out?"

"I'm not sure. Five or six hours, at least, I bet." She said. "What did that teleporting guy do to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He dropped you in here like the rest of us, but you screamed when you hit the ground and blacked out. What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything." Daniel sighed. "I guess you can say I'm kind of fragile. It doesn't take much to knock me out."

The girl hesitantly offer her hand to him. "I'm Julia." She introduced herself.

"Daniel." He replied. "Don't squeeze too hard now." He shook her hand and his grip was loose and lifeless. He winced even at her tiny squeeze.

"Something weird happened while you were out." Julia told him then. "A woman in a black dress came in here; slipped through the lasers like she was a ghost. She sat by you for a little while and then she just disappeared. She looked really worried."

Daniel's eyes hardened. "She wasn't worried, I promise."

"Who is she?"

Daniel shook his head and smiled bitterly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Julia. You really wouldn't." He tried not to ask, but he couldn't help himself. "Did she say anything?"

"She said 'I'll rescue you anytime you want. Just call me.'" Julia quoted. "Do you really think she can help us?"

Daniel gingerly sat down again. "She's never helped anybody ever. We're better off here, trust me."

Julia deflated and sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. "Wherever _here_ is..."

TTTTTTTTTT

The Teen Titans – most of them, anyway – were gathered together on the roof of a well-established factory near the heart of downtown. It was a large brick building with tall smokestacks jutting up from the top. Only a few of them were operational; the factory had been built in a time when environmental laws were nearly nonexistent. The Titans stood around and leaned against the stacks, half hiding and half trying to find some shelter from the cold rain.

Beast Boy had been pacing around as a green duck, his feathers designed to repel water. The form had only one drawback: He couldn't complain while in it. He shook his tail feathers, scooted up to a smokestack and changed back to his green humanoid self.

"Why are we meeting here?" He demanded of Robin. The Boy Wonder was crouched next to the raised edge of the roof and peeked over it at the city. "I don't know if you know this, Robin, but we _do_ kinda own a giant building shaped like the twenty second letter of the alphabet, ya know?"

Starfire floated nearby. Her alien physiology seemed to be handling the weather much better than the little green man. "I believe 'T' is the twentieth letter of the alphabet, Beast Boy." She corrected him gently.

Beast Boy gave her a fanged frown. He muttered to himself and counted on his fingers, but then he shrugged halfway through his calculations. "Whatever." He said. "You know what I mean!"

Robin glanced over his shoulder at the changeling. "A little rain won't hurt us." He told him.

"Speak for yourself!" Beast Boy cackled. "Cyborg might rust and Raven is _totally_ going to start melting any second now!"

"That's not funny." Raven droned from the recess of her hood. She stood stoically nearby, bundled up in her cloak.

Aquagirl was just beyond her, lounging comfortably atop a large cooling fan. "Aw, c'mon, Raven." She said. "It was a _little_ funny."

Raven gave her a sour look and wrung out the end of her cloak. "You're just in a good mood because you _like_ all this water."

"A girl's got to get wet every once in a while." Aquagirl shrugged. She looked around. "So, is everybody here?"

"Friend Cyborg has not yet arrived." Starfire told.

Beast Boy had been blinking owlishly. His fang gleamed. "Did Aquagirl just say-"

"Here I am." Cyborg announced himself as his head peeked over the edge of the roof. He stepped off the fire escape and climbed up.

"What took you so long?" Robin asked.

"You know how it is. I had to wait for the little lady to get ready." Cyborg smirked outrageously. "You know how women are."

"That's not sexist." Raven muttered sarcastically, but Beast Boy drowned her out.

"What little lady?" He asked.

Indigo climbed up behind Cyborg. "I believe he's referring to me." She said. "You can call me Indigo."

Beast Boy stared at the android, then looked cockeyed at Cyborg. "What did we tell you about bringing smexy naked chicks with blue bewbs to team meetings?" He waggled his eyebrows. "I don't remember myself, but I hope it went something along the lines of _do it more often!_"

"H-hey!" Cyborg did a nervous double-take. "Indigo is not _naked_, little man!"

Indigo shrugged her shoulders smoothly and looked at Cyborg. "As naked as you are, I suppose."

Beast Boy's left eye twitch while his right pupil spun. "I'm excited and forever scarred all at the same time..."

Robin ignored the green man's antics. He walked across the roof and held out his hand to Indigo. "I'm-"

"Robin, of course." Indigo briefly shook his hand. "I know all of you. Please, don't let me interrupt your meeting."

Starfire floated over curiously. "Where did you meet our friend, Indigo?" She asked.

"Like many others, I was held captive at the Gemini Building." Indigo explained. "Cyborg rescued me."

Robin looked at the half-robot. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"You can blame me for that." Indigo said. "I asked Cyborg to keep it a secret until now. Only recently was I prepared to expose myself to anyone other than him."

Beast Boy opened his mouth-

"Don't even think about it!" Raven and Aquagirl said in unison.

"We'll be glad to help you in any way we can." Robin said somewhat diplomatically. "But we have other things that need out attention as well."

"Of course." Indigo nodded. "As I said, please don't let me interrupt."

Robin nodded and took a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "Right now Gemini and Slade and his new apprentices have to take a backseat. Someone has been kidnapping metahumans and signing up super powered criminals to participate in an illegal, no-holds-barred fighting tournament." He pointed at the huge covered dome nearby. "From what I've heard, it's taking place there starting tomorrow morning."

Cyborg's eyes followed the Boy Wonder's gloved finger. "The old arena. The Jump City Dunks used to play there before they built that new place on the edge of Uptown. Isn't this one slated for demolition soon?"

"Next month, actually." Robin nodded.

Starfire's eyes were thoughtful. "This is very short notice. Why have we not heard of such a large event until now?"

"A tournament gathering metahumans would be difficult to arrange." Raven agreed. "An operation like that should take weeks to put together."

"It _should_." Robin said. "But it seems it's only a couple of days in the making at most. I'm more concerned with who's setting this up than the tournament itself. Whoever it is has unbelievable resources."

"So what's the big deal?" Aquagirl asked. "We know where it is and when it's happen. Let's just call Commissioner Chainsmoke and have him bust them."

"Too messy." Robin shook his head. "We'll make plenty of arrests and probably rescue the kidnapped metahumans, but the financier behind it all will slip away. If that happens, we could all be doing this again next week. I want to cut the head off of the snake."

"Okay," Raven said. "How do we do that?"

Robin looked at them all seriously. "We need someone to go undercover and find out what they can without tipping anyone off."

Aquagirl nervously stepped forward. "Y-you're talking about me, aren't you?" She asked. "I mean, none of you can do it. You'd all be recognized right off. But I wouldn't, right?"

"Neither would I." Indigo said.

"Don't forget about me!" Beast Boy said. He turned into his blonde, pink-skinned form. "See? I could do it, too!"

"No offense, Beast Boy." Cyborg said. "But you're gonna have to fight. Can you defend yourself without using your powers? Blondie form is all well and good, but you're kind of going to give yourself away when you start turning into green animals."

"I won't have to." Beast Boy said. "Check out this trick!" He sank down into the form of a dalmatian; a black and while dalmatian.

"Wonderful!" Starfire couldn't help but crouch down and pet Beast Boy's new canine head. "When did you learn this new ability?"

Beast Boy turned back into his round-eared form. "I've been able to do it ever since I breathed in that toxic waste crud."

"It's possible the disease you contracted in your childhood taints the DNA of each animal you transform into, causing the unnatural green pigment." Indigo theorized. "Your improved immune system due to your contact with the Gemini chemical must allow you access to the untainted version of animal DNA."

"Wait..." Beast Boy blinked. "How do you know about-"

"In simplest terms, Cyborg informed me." Indigo told him.

"So we have three possible candidates for the operation." Starfire surmised.

Robin rubbed his chin. He looked speculatively between the three volunteers. "Beast Boy and Indigo." He decided.

Aquagirl stared at him. She shook her head as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Wait a second!" She said. "I get Beast Boy. He's a core member and a veteran of the team and stuff...but you just _met_ Indigo! How could you pick her over me?"

The slits of Robin's eye mask squinted at her, but he said nothing.

"Robin..." Raven said it slowly; calculatingly. "Do you know something we don't?"

The two of them exchanged a long look before he spoke again. He turned to Aquagirl. "You're right. That wasn't fair. You can join them."

Aquagirl wasn't ready to let it go. "Why don't you trust me, Robin?"

Robin took in a deep breath. Every eye was on him. He exhaled. "I'll talk to you about it later." He said. "A rooftop in the rain isn't the place to discuss it. Let's go home."

TTTTTTTTTT

The world had been drowned. It undulated and waved weightlessly. The teenage girl floated suspended in the tube that server as her technological womb. The artificial ambiotic fluid slowly drained through a grating in the floor and the girl sank to stand on her feet. The glass tube rose up and the oxygen mask that covered half of her face was pulled away. She stood in the middle of the lab, dripping wet and nearly nude save for strategically placed medical strips that clung to her form. A blonde woman wearing a white surgical mask and a plastic, waterproof gown approached her. She gently rinsed the glossy fluid from the girl's skin with a pressurized sprayer.

"You must be cold." She said to the girl in a kind voice when she was finished. "Here. Dry yourself off, child." She handed the dripping girl a large, fluffy towel.

The girl hesitantly accepted it. "T-Thank you." She used her voice for the very first time. She began to rub herself down vigorously while the helpful woman removed her mask and gown to reveal a skirt and a long aqua-colored coat. Even though she had never seen the woman before, the teenage girl found she recognized her. Synopsis in her brain fired virgin shots and gave her access to information she had never consciously learned.

"You're Maryse Gemini, aren't you?" She said. "You're the richest woman in the world."

"Yes, I am." Maryse said to her. "And I've spent a considerable amount of my wealth on you."

"I don't understand."

"We have much to discuss." Maryse agreed. She handed the girl a bundle of white and blue. "Here are some clothes for you."

The girl looked them over. The boots and gloves were light blue, along with the cape. The core of the outfit was a white bodysuit with the Gemini Industries logo over the chest. The girl pursed her lips. "Either it's Halloween or you're expecting me to be some kind of superhero." She said as she began to shimmy into the jumpsuit.

"Not just _a_ superhero, my dear. _The_ superhero; the greatest the world has ever seen. That is your destiny."

"I thought that was Superman's job." She pulled on her boots and gloves.

"Superman won't live forever." Maryse said. "You are the hero of the next generation. Here, come with me."

The girl clasped on her cape and followed Maryse into the elevator.

"You were created." Maryse explained as they ascended. "Using state of the art cloning and age acceleration technology. You are a product of kryptonian and human DNA. You have all the abilities of Superman and none of his weaknesses. You are immune to the radiation of kryptonite. You are potentially the strongest metahuman on the planet."

The girl focused on the first part. "I'm a clone...?" She whispered. "T-that means I don't have a family, do I? I'm alone."

Maryse looked somewhat surprised at the girl's turn of thought, but then she smiled and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone, child." She said softly. "The human DNA used to create you is my DNA. In my mind, that makes me your mother. I'll love you as my daughter."

The girl looked at Maryse hopefully. "Y-you will?"

"Of course, dear." The elevator stopped. Maryse took the girl by the hand and led her out onto the roof. They stood on the edge, looking at the brightly dark city. "Look out there. Jump City is your city. The people are your people. They need you."

"What about the Teen Titans?"

"They've done some good things for the city." Maryse admitted. "But they can never be as strong or efficient as you and your team can be."

The girl blinked slowly. "My team?"

"Even as powerful as you are, I don't plan to throw my daughter to the wolves alone. Everyone needs help. Even you."

The girl look at her mother speculatively. "You ant me to be the leader, don't you?"

"It couldn't be anyone else." Maryse said. "This city doesn't need titans; it needs guardian angels. It needs _you_, Seraph. Now," she leaned in and put an arm around her shoulder. "Are you up to the task."

Seraph hugged herself and looked out at the city. "What if I say no?" She asked meekly.

Maryse's face softened. "I'm asking as a citizen of Jump City and nothing else." She assured her. "I'm your mother first and foremost. I'll love you no matter what you decide."

Seraph looked at her gratefully. "Do you really think the city needs me?" She asked.

"Seraph, I think the whole world needs you."

Seraph thought about it intensely, her blue eyes deep. She took in a deep breath, hesitated and then exhaled confidently. "I do kind of like the cape. What do you want me to do?"

Maryse smiled at her.

TTTTTTTTTT

The Hunter Detective Agency had survived the assault by Verilli's hit squad, but it still wore the scars. The front window still hadn't been restored and a tied off blue tarp waved and billowed like a sail at sea in its place to keep the weather out. The debris from the bottom floor had been mostly cleared and a large section of carpet had been ripped up due to water damage from the tipped water cooler.

Holly's office upstairs was in much better condition. Jonathon had worked hard on getting it back to normal as quickly as possible and, for the most part, he had succeeded admirably.

Holly didn't care. She sat at her desk with her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. She rested it on one hand and held a cigarette in the other. She sighed, inhaled smoke and blew it out in a tired, depressed cloud. She flicked ashes uncaringly on the floor. She could hear the muffled sound of the phone ringing yet again downstairs. Her dad was many things – some Holly couldn't say in the presence of children or seniors or anyone with a delicate stomach – and persistent was among them. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. She might never be, she thought. Her dad had betrayed her. Holly wasn't sure if she could ever forgive that.

She sighed again and lifted her head. "Are you gonna say something or just stand there?" She said to the dim darkness around her. "I heard you come in two minutes ago."

Robin ghosted out of hiding near the curtains. Water dripped from his cape and his hair was wet. "It was closer to five, actually." He corrected her absently. "I wasn't sure if this was a good time."

"I'm just being a little emo." Holly said. "Nothing I can't do later. Why has every fangirl's favorite bird come and paid me a visit?"

"I spoke with your father earlier today." Robin made a point to stand downwind from the cigarette smoke. "He filled me in on your investigation. You do good work."

Holly squinted at him. "I can't believe he sent you here to blow up my skirt and try to butter me up."

"The commissioner doesn't know I'm here." Robin said. "I wanted to clarify some things with you, that's all. It seems you know more about Maryse Gemini and her practices than any of us."

"Verilli, too" Holly said. "Though it seems my dad knows more about him than he lets on."

"Verilli," Robin repeated. "Marcus Verilli? The mayoral candidate?"

"He's a hell of a lot more than that." Holly said it bitterly.

"Walker didn't mention him."

"Of course, he didn't. He just gave you the dirt I found on Gemini and left him out of it. Why am I not surprised?"

"What are you trying to tell me?" Robin asked.

"What I'm saying is simple. Right now, this is your city and my father's city. Maryse Gemini and Marcus Verilli are teaming up in the same way to make it theirs. They're just being a little more subtle about it than your average crazed metahuman teenager or psychotic mastermind."

"You can prove this?"

"Hell no." Holly shook her head and blew smoke again. "If I could my dad would be arresting those mofos right now and this conversation would be really redundant. It's true all the same, though. I just need more time to gather evidence. Kinda hard to do when my dad kicked me off the case."

"He didn't mention that." Robin murmured.

"Yeah. I'm sensing a pattern there. He freaked out the moment I mentioned Verilli."

Robin frowned thoughtfully. "I think there's something you should know. I just remembered it myself. Verilli used to have his business set up in Bludhaven."

"I know that. I _am_ investigating him after all. Or at least I was."

"He left about the time I was starting my career." Robin went on. "I never encountered him personally, but the business he left behind was full of corruption. I heard a lot of rumors about him."

"Yeah, he's a huge Amercian Idol fan." Holly quipped. "Oh, and he also happened to be a warlord. That might be important, too. Still, what can be more evil than enjoying Simon Cowell?"

Robin remained expressionless. "Your father had recently become commissioner when I arrived in town and the Titans formed. I went to him as a show of respect and to get his blessing. Some commissioners get offended when vigilantes show up uninvited in their town. He agreed to give us his endorsement...under one condition."

Holly squinted at him. "He told you to leave Verilli alone."

"Right. He told me he had an ongoing, intricate investigation he was personally conducting. His argument at the time was that he didn't want us sticking our noses into it and screwing it up. We were a new team. Retired drug lords weren't our main focus. We dealt with metahuman criminals; people and events that the police force weren't equipped to deal with. Walker took care of the normal street crime: Drugs, gang wars, that kind of thing. It's worked out pretty well so far."

"Until now." Holly pointed out. "Years have passed since then. You never thought to mention it again?"

"I never thought it was an issue. A retired drug lord living out his later years under the watchful eye of a police commissioner didn't concern me. Eventually I forgot about it."

"Well, you better start paying attention." Holly said. "Unless you want the city taken away from right under your beak."

"...or I could hire you to pay attention for me." Robin suggested. "I have a lot of things on my plate right now and there's only one of me. You've proven you're talented at what you do. And since your father fired you, I'd say you have the time."

"How do I contact you?"

"I'll come back and check on your progress. If something really important comes up, it's no secret where I live."

Holly was about to reply when the intercom interrupted her.

"_Ms. Walker,"_ Jonathon's voice came through electronically. _"Your father has called four times since you told me-"_

"Just leave the phone off the hook, jeez. I'm not talking to him!" She turned away from the intercom back to Robin. "Let's talk about my price. I don't work for free-"

She stopped when she realized she was talking to a curtain rustling in front of the open window and nothing else. Even despite her recent stress, she found herself smiling around her cigarette.

"Crafty bastard." She said under her breath.


	34. Oct 7: Everybody Trusts Jonny

"_What makes you think I know anything about making a superhero costume?" - Karen_

_**Everybody Trusts Jonny**_

_**October 7th**_

_**Late Night**_

The rain had thankfully stopped, but the city was still wet and gleaming. Jonny had no money and no place to stay. The best bed he could find was an old wooden bench on the edge of Jump City Park. The wood was hard, soggy and not long enough for his frame. His feet hung uncomfortable off the end no matter how he tried to situate himself. He used his clothes bag as a makeshift pillow and his cattleman's coat as a wet blanket. He shivered through the night. Sleep was an impossibility. At this point all he could hope for was a bit of rest. He sank in and out of a fitful doze where dreams and memories merged into an incomprehensible mess.

Jonny found himself in the barn back home at the Bluestone Ranch. The smell of stale chaff from the hay filled his nose and a small, carefully-made fire held back the cold winter air. But even warmer was Amber's body next to his and the soft wetness of her kisses.

Then he was by the river, lying in the tall grass with only the pretense of a fishing pole cast into the water nearby. Crystal ran up to him excitedly, laughing and smiling. Jonny stood up, caught her in a bear hug and spun her around in a dance of joy.

He sat in the bleachers as spring peeked out tentatively from behind winter's veil. He held Amber's hand as she wistfully watched the rodeo and as friends and family came by to marvel at her distended belly.

Then there was the hospital waiting room. The pacing and the worry and the anticipation. He walked outside time after time to get away from the reassurances of his family and smoke cigarette after cigarette. The smoke along with his empty stomach made him feel sick, but he didn't care. He was too nervous to eat.

It was Crystal that came and found him. She didn't have to say anything; her crying face told him all he needed to know.

As Jonny swam in and out of restless sleep, a pair of fearful, cunning eyes watched him. The dark figure silently moved towards him on little stealthy feet. It stopped, studied his face carefully, then moved again. The figure knelt beside the bench. It tried to look into Jonny's face, but his hat was tilted over it. The figure held its breath, gathered up courage and reached for the guitar case beneath the bench. There was the sound of metal on metal and the figure suddenly found a switchblade knife at its throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jonny growled from under his hat. "I've had a _really_ bad day and you ain't making it any better."

"S-s-sorry, mister! I didn't mean to!" Came an all too high and young voice. Jonny pushed back his hat and sat up to find the would-be thief was a dark-haired, freckled little girl. Jonny's heart shuddered in his chest. She couldn't have been any older than ten years old.

"My god!" He gasped. "What the hell is a girl your age doing out here by herself at this time of night?"

"I-I'm sorry, okay?" The girl was nearly sobbing now. ""Really really _really really sorry!"_

Jonny's face blanched when he realized he was still holding the knife. He quickly clicked it shut and put it in his boot. "Hey, hey, it's okay. See?" He showed her his empty hands. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise. I'm sorry I scared you. Are you all right now?"

The little girl was still catching her breath, but her panic seemed to dissipate somewhat. She blinkedblinkedblinked and her eyes began to dry. "...I think so..." She said it hesitantly.

"Good." Jonny nodded. Then he patted the bench beside him. "Here, why don't you sit down?"

The fear returned full-fledged to the girls eyes. She took a stuttering step backwards. Jonny didn't know what she was thinking, but he felt ashamed all the same. "It's okay." He said in a soothing voice usually reserved for his daughter. "You don't have to if you don't want to. What's your name?"

The girl cast down her eyes and Jonny thought for a moment she wouldn't answer, but then she spoke. "Bridget."

"The city's dangerous at night, Bridget. What are you doing out here?"

She scuffed her shoe against the ground. "I'm looking for my brother." She all but whispered.

"Uh-huh," Jonny drawled. "And you thought he might be hiding in my guitar case?" Bridget looked at him with stricken eyes and Jonny immediately changed his tone. "It's no big deal, okay? I just want to know what's going on. You can trust me."

Bridget hugged herself and stamped her feet. "Somebody took my brother." She said. "Dax knows where he is, but he won't tell me unless I bring him something he can sell."

"And who's this Dax hombre?"

"He owns a pawn shop." Bridget said. "He knows everything that happens in the city."

"Is that right?" Jonny stood up and hefted his guitar and clothes bundle. "Let's go have a chat with Dax. Lead the way, little darlin'."

Bridget stood there, frozen in indecision. Then, as if she was reaching out to pet a snake, she slowly offered her hand to Jonny. Jonny smiled, took it in his own and let her show him the way.

Dax's pawn shop was a plain, utilitarian building of stout white brick with barred windows. A rack of bicycles, dirt bikes and lawnmowers of all shapes, sizes and ages – and most likely functionality - were chained together outside. Jonny doubted that any of them could be relied upon for any significant amount of time. He opened the barred glass door and a bell rang out above it. The man behind the front counter took one look at Jonny and shooed him away.

"Yo, we're closed, country boy!" He shouted. "Go home and come back tomorrow!"

Jonnys studied him. He had light, swarthy skin that made his race indeterminate. Jonny figured his lineage was so diluted that he had no real claim to any race. His eyes were close together and he had a nose like a rat. His hair was nearly nonexistent and his eyes darteddarteddarted, looking at everything at once.

"I might be a country boy, but I learn quick." Jonny said. "If ya'll were closed, you wouldn't be here. I'm figuring you're just closed to honest customers...assuming you have any." He walked down an aisle of generators and toolboxes and other knick knacks towards the counter. "You're Dax, aren't you?"

The man was suspicious, intrigued and nervous all at once. "That depends..." He said it vaguely.

Jonny didn't feel like playing games. He looked over his shoulder at Bridget, who had come in inauspiciously behind him. "Is this Dax, Bridget?"

Bridget looked at Jonny, then at the man, then down at her feet. "Y-yes..."

"I'm glad we got that cleared up." Jonny said.

Dax gave him a sour look. Then he huffed in resignation. "What do you want?" He asked reluctantly.

"Just some information." Jonny said. "Then I'll leave you to do...whatever unsavory thing you do in a pawn shop in the dead of night."

Dax's nose twitched. "Hand over the guitar and we'll talk." He suggested. He went on when Jonny cocked a quizzical eyebrow at him. "Information isn't free and I'll wager that guitar of yours is the only thing you own that's worth anything."

"That's quite the assumption." Jonny said with a poker face.

Dax ignored it. "I know homeless people when I see them. You don't have shit. At least you don't have the homeless smell yet."

Jonny frowned. He had _that_ to look forward to. He put that out of his mind and shook his head. "I'm not giving anything to someone who sends a little girl out on the street to steal for him."

Dax's eyes flickered to Bridget. He glared at her, but then Jonny stood between them to block his line of sight. "I didn't tell her to steal anything." Dax defended himself in a monotone. "I figured she'd just bring something from home."

"Yeah," Jonny drawled sarcastically. "That makes it okay."

"Look, I run a business here." Dax gesticulated. "Sure, I sell lawnmowers and jewelry and stereos and stuff, but my biggest commodity is information. I breathe this city. I know everything that happens in it. I can't just tell you about the brat's brother no more than I could hand over a gold watch for free, ya know? So hand over the guitar or get the hell out of my store."

"How about this?" Jonny put his palms down on the counter and leaned forward. "How about you tell me what I want to know or I'll burn this place to the ground?"

"This place is made of brick, genius!" Dax cackled. "It doesn't burn!"

Jonny smirked. He held up his hand, hummed under his breath and balanced a fireball on his palm. "You might be surprised." He said. "I reckon it depends on how _hot_ the fire is." The fireball flared to help with his emphasis.

Dax stepped back. He began to sweat, but he kept his composure. "Y-you're one of those metahuman freaks!"

"Well, ain't you the master of observation?" Jonny's face hardened. "Bridget's brother. Where is he?"

Before Dax could answer, the bell over the door rang out. Three men and a woman came in wearing matching bandannas. The woman – the leader, it seemed – squinted at Jonny. Bridget stood quietly at the back of the store and escaped notice. "What the hell, Dax?" She demanded. "You said you'd be alone!"

Jonny had made the fireball vanish the moment he heard the bell. He leaned over the counter and looked at Dax. "Who are these folks?" He whispered.

"B-better than you!" Dax whispered back in a hiss. "They actually have an appointment!"

Jonny eyed them. He spied a pistol handle jutting from the waistband of the woman's pants. He assumed the rest of them were armed as well. He looked back at Dax. "Either get rid of them or I will."

"Yeah, right! Fire doesn't make you bulletproof!" He looked over at the four late night shoppers. "Hey! This guy is trying to steal your shipment!"

Jonny growled at Dax. "You sonuva-" He made a grab for the lowlife, but the thugs already mindlessly opening fire on him. He dropped his guitar and clothes bag and dove behind the cover of the far aisle. A stray bullet shattered the glass case that held a multitude of electronics.

"Hey!" Dax protested. "Shoot the cowboy! Not the merchandise!"

A change came over Jonny. The bullets whizzing by him didn't scare him as they should; they infuriated him. All the angst and depression he had felt suddenly turned to fury. He was angry at the city that had chewed him up and spit him out and angry at the scum living in it that had corrupted it. His fists clenched. He grit his teeth and hummed a ragged tune. Then he stood up over the low aisle in full view of his attackers. Quite predictably, the four thugs aimed their guns at him and fired at point blank range.

Bridget screamed.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Electricity sparked and flashed around Jonny. The bullets were stopped by a magnetic force field surrounding him. They orbited around him like space dust around a meteor. He marched resolutely into the gunfire and stared down the four people that were trying to kill him. More bullets fired and, just like the others, they were caught in the electric field and rotated there.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

The guns reached the end of their clips. Three of the thugs back stepped away, but the fourth desperately lunged at him. The bullets revolving around Jonny gathered together and coalesced into a metal knuckle around his right first just as he punched the man high on the cheek. The man went down in a boneless heap. Jonny was slightly ashamed at how much the punch made him feel better, but not enough to dwell on it. He looked at the other three crowding around the doorway.

"Take him and get out of here." He ordered. They didn't argue. They picked up their fallen comrade under his arms and dragged him out of the door. With that problem taken care of, Jonny turned back to Dax. The electric field flashed away and the metal knuckle that had once been bullets clanked to the floor. "Where were we?" Jonny asked.

"H-h-hey!" Dax held up his hands and tried to back away, but there was no where to go. "Calm down, man! Don't do anything hasty! Be cool!"

"Just tell me where Bridget's brother is and I'll leave you alone."

Dax wiped the sweat from his brow and licked his lips nervously. "Okay, look. I'll tell you what you want to know, all right? But you can't come down here and bust me down like this again. It's bad for business, ya know?

"Where. Is. Her. Brother?" Jonny emphasized every word.

"All right! Jeez!" Dax tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Word is there's a fighting tournament going on at the old arena tomorrow morning. This dude – I dunno who he is – has been snatching metahumans to participate in it. If you want to find the brat's brother, you'll have to sign up for it. Someone like you would be in a position to clean up."

"Clean up?"

"Hell yeah! Winner gets a cool hundred grand."

That got Jonny's immediate attention. "One hundred thousand dollars?"

Dax saw the look in Jonny's eyes and his nose began to twitch. "Oh yeah, man. Imagine what you could do with that kind of cash! You wouldn't be living on the streets no more, am I right? You just rest those smexy powers of yours and let Dax take care of the rest!"

Jonny looked at him suspiciously. "You would help me?"

"Sure!" Dax said, his tone completely wheedling now. "As your manager, of course! Every great fighter needs one! You're an honest joe, am I right? We'll split everything right down the middle! Fifty-fifty!"

Jonny rolled his eyes. "You gotta be kidding."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Dax was talking very fast now and Jonny was amazed how fast the man's greed eclipsed his fear. "You'll be doing all the fighting while I'm advising from the sidelines. I feel ya. Sixty-forty!"

Jonny ignored him. He turned his back and motioned to Bridget. "Come along, Bridget. Let's go."

"Give me a break! I can't go any lower than seventy-thirty! A man's gotta eat, ya know! Take it or leave it!" Dax's voice was desperate, but his eyes were full of cunning. He lowered his hands slowly as he spoke and watched closely to be sure Jonny didn't turn around.

"Dax," Jonny stopped and said it without turning around. "If I were you I'd take my hand away from that shotgun you got stashed under the counter there."

Dax nearly had a heart attack. "H-h-how did you-"

"Funny thing about being in the middle of an electromagnetic field." Jonny smirked grimly. "You can feel all the metal around you. By the way, I'm gonna need the key to one of those dirt bikes you have outside and a helmet for the girl."

Dax made spluttering noises. "B-b-b-but-"

"Relax. I'll bring it back."

"Yeah, right!" Dax regained his senses somewhat. "You expect me to believe that?"

Jonny finally turned to look at him. "From where I stand, I reckon you don't have much of a choice. The key and helmet...please." He held out his hand.

Dax sighed.

TTTTTTTTT

Jump City Hospital was a monstrous building that sat on the point that connected the Tech District, Uptown and Downtown. It was made of glass and concrete like any other building, but there was something about its nighttime glow that was hopeful. Jonny pulled up to its front walk on his borrowed dirt bike, twisted in the seat that wasn't unlike a narrow saddle and helped Bridget step down. The little girl pulled off her helmet and hung it from the back of the bike as Jonny heeled down the kickstand and dismounted himself.

Jonny shielded his eyes and leaned far back to gaze up at the building. "You live in a hospital?" He asked.

"My mom stays here." Bridget said.

Jonny nodded. He went down on one knee so he could look Bridget in the face. "What you did today was very brave. I'm sure your brother would be proud." He said it very directly. "But your adventure is over, okay? Your job now is to stay here and keep yourself safe. It would be a shame if your brother comes home only to find something happened to you. So let me handle it now, ya hear?"

Bridget dug into her pocket and handed him a crumpled picture of a young man about Jonny's own age. There was no doubt who it was. Jonny could imagine her walking down the street, showing it to anyone who would listen and asking if they'd seen him. The thought stirred something deep inside him.

Bridget's heart was in her eyes when she asked: "You're gonna save my brother, aren't you, mister?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jonny said gravely. "I promise."

She hugged him then, her little arms clinging tightly around his neck. Jonny patted her back and then tousled her hair as he gently pulled away. "All right. Mosey on along now, little darlin'." He told her.

He watched her walk towards the front glass doors. She had nearly made it there before he remembered one last thing. "Bridget!" He called. "Where's the nearest costume shop?"

TTTTTTTTTT

The costume shop was dressed up in a seasonal fare. With the way his life had been going lately, Jonny had all but forgotten that Halloween was just around the corner. The small, squat brick shop was made up with plastic cobwebs and orange jack-o-lanterns and various displays of witches and skeletons and vampires. Something about the darkly bright decorations rubbed him the wrong way. Jonny wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything.

He also wasn't a very good thief. When he was eight years old he had stolen a candy bar from the general store in Dunningham. He brought it outside stealthily enough, but he had only taken a single bite before his conscious caught up with him. He confessed to his dad who promptly grabbed him by the arm, dragged him behind the store and whooped him good. Then he took Jonny back inside the store to apologize to the owner. He worked at the store for a week – sweeping the place – to pay off for that one little bite of candy bar. It was a lesson he didn't forget.

And so Jonny was incredibly inexperienced at the art of burglary. He walked in front of the store, his head on a swivel and already looking guilty. He cupped his hands to the glass and peeked inside the dark front window. All he could make out were gloomy aisles in the dimness. He looked speculatively at the front door, but then he turned away. He might be an amateur, but that didn't mean he was stupid. He went around the side of the shop and found the side service door. There was no handle, he saw. It only opened from the inside. Jonny reached into his boot, flicked open his switchblade and jabbed it into the slit of the door. He worked it around and around and around and...the lock didn't click.

"This looks a lot easier on television." Jonny grumbled under his breath and tried again. After several minutes of cursing and coaxing, the bolt finally slid in with a metallic grating and the door swung outward. Jonny replaced his knife inside the cuff of his boot and slipped himself inside.

It was darker than he thought. He had judged it by peering in the front window, but there were no windows to let in streetlight in the back room he broke into. He walked down a narrow aisle with crates stacked high on either side. He moved ahead slowly, feeling his way along. Jonny stopped at one point – he thought he saw a flash of flaxen hair – but then it was gone so quickly he couldn't be sure. He shrugged it off and continued on. He turned a corner and found himself face to face with a bloodthirsty werewolf. He let out a shout and stumbled back. It took several moments to explain to his thundering heart that it was only a mannequin in a very convincing Halloween costume. Jonny leaned against a pile of crates, trying to catch his breath. There was a long, drawn out creaking he couldn't place. He didn't realize it was the sound of the crates tipping over until it was too late. The pile collapsed on him. He struggled to free himself, but then the lights switched on and blinded him.

"You're the worst thief I've even seen." A woman's voice told him. Jonny squinted through the light to see the blurry figure of a young brunette woman. As his vision cleared, he could see her thick-rimmed glasses and the nearly knee-length sweater that engulfed her form.

"I'm no thief." Jonny said.

"Good." The woman looked down at him with her hands on her hips. "Because you stink at it. What are you doing in my store?"

Jonny wasn't sure how to answer that. "I just needed a few things, that's all." He said it slowly. It was completely unconvincing even if it was technically true.

"And you couldn't wait until I opened tomorrow morning?" She asked him.

"I...don't have any money." Jonny admitted.

"Hah! So you _were_ stealing!"

"No! It's not like that!" Jonny hastily defended himself. "I was just borrowing, is all!"

The woman wasn't buying it. She turned her back on him. "Okay, I'm calling the police."

"J-just wait a second!"

The woman paused in the act of walking away. She looked over her shoulder curiously. "And why should I?"

"Come look at this." Jonny said. "There's a note in the inside pocket of my jacket. Look at it."

The shop owner looked at him suspiciously, but she came back and did as he said. She watched him closely, reached into his jacket and brought out a crumpled piece of notebook paper. She unfolded it and read aloud. "'I'm sorry for doing this, but I don't have a choice. I'll come back and pay for everything as soon as I can. I promise!'" The woman looked up from the note and down at Jonny. She studied his earnest, hopeful face and shook her head incredulously. "You really think this makes everything all right, don't you?"

"No, ma'am." Jonny shook his head regretfully. "Just as right as I can make it."

The woman folded her arms and stared at him for a long time, her lips pursed in thought. Finally, she asked: "Are you armed?"

"Just a knife in my boot. You can take it."

"No," She decided. "If you were going to use it on me, you wouldn't have told me about it." She reached down, picked up the crate that was holding Jonny down and moved it aside.

"Strong arms you got there." Jonny said.

"These crates are lighter than they look." The woman said. "Don't try to get on my good side by flattering me. You're still not off the hook." She reached down and helped him.

"No, ma'am." Jonny agreed.

"I'm Karen." The girl introduced herself.

"Jonny," he said. He stuck out his hand. Karen looked at it a moment and decided to shake it. Her grip was strong, but Jonny knew better now than to mention it.

Karen gestured, turned and led him out of the backroom into the store itself. It was a homey little place, no more than a hundred square feet, with a front sales counter and four aisles filled to the brim with Halloween costumes and decorations. There were racks of clothes in the corners and masks of all shapes and sizes hung from the walls.

Karen hopped up to sit on the edge of the sales counter. "Okay," she kicked her feet. "The only reason I'm not calling the cops is because I'm curious. What are you doing in my store?"

"That's a very long story, ma'am."

"Give me the abridged version, then."

Jonny sighed and shook his head. "Ever since I arrived in this town everyone I've confided in has stabbed me in the back in one fashion or another." He told her. He looked into her face. "Can I trust you, Karen?"

"Trust me to do what?" She asked.

"To not take advantage of my trust in you."

Karen squinted at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jonny said. "Absolutely."

Karen's face was grave and the blue eyes behind her glasses softened. "...You can trust me, Jonny. I promise." She made the pact. "_Now_ will you tell me what you're doing in my store?"

Jonny nodded gratefully. "I'll tell you the whole tale some other time. For now, let me give you the important cliff notes." He paused briefly to think and handed Karen the picture Bridget had given him. "This hombre's been kidnapped." He explained. "I promised his little sister that I'd bring him home."

Karen studied the picture for a moment and then handed it back. "I don't see the connection yet." She confessed.

"We haven't crossed that bridge yet." Jonny went on. "He was kidnapped to participate in this metahuman fighting contest going on tomorrow. I need to sign up for it to get in and help him-"

"And you need a costume to hide your identity." Karen finished for him.

"Yes, ma'am. That's it exactly."

Karen paused in thought. "You're a metahuman?" She asked.

"I got powers, at least." He held his hands out palms up. Two thin strings of red fire and blue electricity arced, twisted together into a rainbow and then disappeared. "See?"

"Wait..." Karen said in confusion. "If you can do that, why didn't you just blast your way in? Or fry me when you were trapped under the crates?"

A pained look crossed Jonny's face. "I don't hurt people and I'm not a criminal, okay? I'm just a little desperate at the moment, is all."

"I don't know what's more incredible: The fact that you waltz in here and feed me that story...or that I believe it." Karen gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Take what you need, Jonny."

"Thanks, Karen. But remember that I ain't _taking_ anything! I'm going to pay you back. I'll work it off if I have to."

With that, Jonny wandered around the store. He walked around the aisles and walls, looking over everything. He'd pick up an item, examine it for a bit and then put it back down. This went on for several minutes until he let out a frustrated sigh and put his hands on his hips.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." He admitted to Karen. "Think you could give me a hand?"

"What makes you think I know anything about making a superhero costume?"

"I don't know." Jonny said. "In my experience I've found women usually have better fashion sense than men."

"I'll see what I can do." Karen told him. She stopped to look at him thoughtfully. "Okay, so you have the whole cowboy thing going, but everything is going to hinge on the name. What are you going to call yourself?"

Jonny closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

_I've made a lot of mistakes ever since I got here, Amber, but I'm not gonna give up. I missed more than a few notes during my first song, but I'm not gonna let that stop me. I'm ready to start setting things right. I'm putting those mistakes behind me. This is my-_

"Encore." Jonny said with quiet dignity. "You can call me Encore."


	35. Present: They Don't Wear Lipstick

"_Don't you mean 'weird'?" - Jonny_

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

_**Late Night**_

_**They Don't Wear Lipstick**_

The moment the glass door slid shut behind them, Melody gave Yumi a long look. "Okay," she said. "What the hell did we just see?" She wore a dozen different emotions on her sleeve.

Yumi, just the opposite, rubbed her chin thoughtfully with a much more analytical approach. "I'm not sure..." She speculated. "Your dad was with a woman; a woman that glowed."

"Yeah, I saw that!" Melody waved her hands obviously as the movement made her white gown dance. "I just want to know who she is!"

"Your dad called her Kelly..." It took a moment for Melody to understand what her friend was suggesting. Yumi always did put things together before she could.

Melody's blue eyes grew wide. "You think she's the same Kelly from the story?"

"The thought occurred to me."

"But, but, but...Kelly was just a lackey for Slade! Dad said she had super-strength! He didn't say anything about...glowyness!"

"A lot can change in seventeen years." Yumi pointed out.

"I don't get it!" Melody paced barefoot across the kitchen floor. "Why wouldn't he tell me about her?"

"There's one more thing I'm curious about, too."

"Just one?"

"They talked about someone named Demi." Yumi said. "Who could that be?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Melody crossed her arms over her chest and plopped down to sit at the kitchen table beside Yumi. "I can't believe this!"

Yumi looked at her shyly. She hesitantly played with the drawstring of her pajama pants before she asked: "W-what do you think they're doing out there?"

"What do you think?" Melody said drily. "It looked pretty obvious to me! My dad's having a booty call with some kind of gold ghost girl!"

Yumi hugged her tank-topped torso. "You always said your dad shouldn't be alone, right?"

"I'm happy he's-" Melody stopped and reworded it. "I'm glad he's got a girlfriend. That's not the problem. It just hurts that he didn't _tell me_, you know? Why would he keep it a secret from me?"

"S-so..." Yumi said it slowly. "If _I_ was in love with somebody...you would want to know?"

"Of course! You're my best friend, Yumi."

"And it wouldn't matter who it was?" Yumi followed up meekly.

"Nope. I just want you to-" Melody stopped mid sentence and her face scrunched up. "Ew! You're not in love with my dad, are you?"

Yumi darted in faster than Melody could react. She pressed her lips against hers – a brief, soft contact – and then she pulled back just as quickly. Yumi's dark eyes wavered with fear and hope as she waited for her friend to react.

Melody was dumbfounded. Her blue eyes soaked in what little light there was and glowed in surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. She brought two trembling fingers up to her mouth and lightly touched her lips. Then she shakily found her voice. "R-reckon I'll t-take that as a n-n-no..."

Yumi flinched. Her face had grown redder and redder as she waited for Melody to respond. The stress was finally too much and, like a frightened doe, she stood up, turned and scurried up the steps to safety. Melody stared after her. "Yumi!"

The side glass door slid open and Melody started mightily. Her father had taken her by surprise, though she returned the favor. It wasn't until he had closed and locked the door behind him that he noticed his daughter sitting in the dark. Jonny took in a sharp breath. "Melody!" He hissed quietly. "What are you still doing up?"

"I..." Melody glanced at the staircase Yumi had retreated up. "...I had a wyrd dream."

"Don't you mean 'weird'?"

"Get with the times, dad."

Jonny let out a sour little grunt at that, but then shrugged it away. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. "The dream, I mean."

Melody tapped her fingers against her lips. "N-no." She decided. "I think I'll just get some water and go back to bed."

"All right, darlin'." Jonny kissed her forehead as he walked by and mounted the stairs. "Call me if you need anything."

"Hey, dad." Melody stopped him. "What ever happened to Kelly?" Melody couldn't help but notice that he cut his eyes towards the side door at that. But then he shrugged it off and smirked.

"You don't want me to spoil the story, do you? You'll find out in due time. G'night, Melody." He turned and disappeared up the stairway.

Melody sat alone in the dark for some time, her thoughts a welter of images and emotions. They were much too frenzied to make sense of now, so she gave up. She took her own advice, drank a glass of water and went upstairs to her room. Yumi was deep under the covers despite the fact it wasn't really that cold inside the house. Her back was to the door and she was as close to the far edge of the bed as possible. Melody called to her twice, but the lump that was her friend didn't move.

"Come on, Yumi." Melody touched her shoulder. "Nobody falls asleep that fast!"

Yumi remained still.

"Fine." Melody gave up. "We'll talk in the morning." She slipped into bed beside her. She looked at the pool of Yumi's straight, black hair – usually tied up in pigtails – that laid in stark contrast to the white pillow beneath her head. Melody suddenly had the urge to reach out and run her fingers through it, but then she sighed, turned on her back and closed her eyes to sleep.


	36. Oct 8: Someone Cut A Promo

"_As I thought. Just be sure not to injure yourselves. I'm going to need you." - Gladius Girl_

_**Someone Cut A Promo**_

_**October 8th **_

_**Morning**_

There was no way to tell the passage of time in the metahuman cell. Daniel was in a half doze near Julia when the energy rays that kept them locked in flickered and disappeared with a high-pitched whine. Some of the other trapped teenagers looked up hopefully, but then they deflated when they saw Druj and Afreet walk into view.

Druj looked at the bunch critically. "They don't look much like fighters." He observed.

"The boss told me to collect metahumans and that's what I did." Afreet replied. "I didn't stop to ask if they knew how to throw a punch." He adjusted the blindfold over his eyes. "I wouldn't worry. Once they realize what's at stake, they'll fight hard."

"Hey!" One of the inmates shouted angrily. It was a bald girl with a short, blonde mohawk that turned into a mane at the nape of her neck. "Stop talking about us like we're not here! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm _sick_ and _tired_ of being left in the dark! What's going on here?"

"See?" Afreet said. "Some of them are ready to fight already."

The girl growled and held out her hands. Multicolored sparks shot out of her fingertips at Afreet. Afreet teleported and the sparks passed harmlessly through the wisp of smoke he left behind and exploded some distance behind him. Afreet reappeared where he had been standing before.

"What was that she threw at me?" He asked Druj, sounding only mildly curious.

"Some kind of heated energy." Druj told him. "It looked like fireworks; very colorful."

"I wouldn't know." Afreet said blandly. He looked back to the group of captured metahumans teenagers. "Well, it seems that Sparky here is ready to fight. How about the rest of you?"

"Spark." The mohawked girl stressed. "My name is _Spark_."

"Whatever." Afreet faced her. "By the way, Spark, if you try that again Druj will decapitate you on the spot."

Spark said nothing, but she looked cautiously as the tall swordsman.

"Now," Afreet went on. "Everyone line up in front of me." When that was done he 'looked' up at the first metahuman in line. "What's your name?"

The metahuman looked submissively down at his feet. "Dracon." He answered. His voice was deep and gravelly and raspy.

"Interesting voice you have there." Afreet said. He lowered his already short stature to 'look' in Dracon's face, but he turned to the side to avoid it. "Why aren't you looking at me?" Afreet wanted to know.

"I d-don't look at people when I talk to them." Dracon said. "It makes t-them uncomfortable."

"And from that constant stutter I can deduce you don't talk to anyone very often." Afreet reached up with his hands and ran them over Dracon's face. He felt his hairless head and the hard scales and his short snout. "Ah, I see. Do you have any other abilities aside from wearing scales?"

"I-I'm faster and stronger than m-most people and I c-can breathe fire."

"A little cliché, but effective." Afreet turned from him to the next metahuman in line while Druj scribbled the information down on a clipboard. "Next? Tell me your name and your abilities." The metahuman began to answer, but Afreet silenced him by raising his hand. He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. "Reach out to your left side, Druj." He instructed.

Druj's red on black eyes were quizzical, but he trusted his brother. He reached out into the empty air beside him and grasped something that obviously was not air. He felt the solid, invisible object with a fascinated look. He groped...groped...and then he suddenly blushed.

"Grab a little higher maybe." Afreet suggested.

Druj reached up and wrapped his hand in a C-shape in the not so empty air. The air shimmered and wavered and suddenly he was was clutching the throat of a teenage girl. She was bronze-skinned with suspenders, a braided ponytail and a pair of flight goggles high on her forehead. Strange invisible streaks danced across her skin. They traveled faster and faster as Druj held her.

"H-How did you see me?" The girl said tightly. "No one can see me!"

"I see the world a little differently." Afreet said. "It took me a while to realize you were invisible, in fact. No one has looked at you and Druj didn't react when you tried to slip by him. Come get in line in front of me."

The girl hesitated.

"I would do it, if I were you." Druj advised gravely and released his grip on her.

"I think we know your power now." Afreet said when she stood before him. "What's your name?"

"Cid, okay?" She said it quickly. "It's Cid."

Afreet peered at her. "That's not very sexy. Don't you have an alias?"

"I'm no fighter." Cid shook her head. "I'm just a crop duster. That's all!"

"You can be a pilot tomorrow. Today, you're a fighter. Deal with it." Afreet told her. He paused. "From now on, you're Veil." He decided.

The next metahuman in line was a narrow-waisted teenage boy in denim and black. He flashed such a smile that Afreet had to do a double take.

"Who are you?" Afreet asked him.

"I'm Wynter." The boy flicked back his dark, wavy hair to wink. "The _coolest_ guy you'll ever meet!"

Afreet groaned quietly. "And you're an ice elemental, right?"

"Um...yeah." Wynter blinked several times. "How'd you know?"

"...moving on..."

"Oh, hey!" Wynter motioned to Druj and his clipboard. "You writing this down? Make sure you spell my name right! It's Wynter with a 'y'!"

"There is no 'y' in Winter." Druj stated.

"There is when I spell it!"

"You're in a cheery mood for someone who's been kidnapped." Afreet pointed out curiously.

Wynter shrugged. "There's no point in worrying about stuff. I mean, you haven't tried to freeze dry our blood to sale as cherry popsicles or anything, am I right? You gotta stay positive and have fun! Sometimes that's the best way to _break the ice_, ya know?"

Afreet stared at him in a deadpan. "I already hate you." He said and turned away. Spark was next in line and he walked past her to come face to face with Daniel. "What's your name?" Afreet asked him.

Daniel hesitated before he answered. "You don't care about my real name. You just want a marketable code name, don't you?" He asked.

Afreet smiled thinly. "It's nice to see one of you finally catch on. You're absolutely right."

"Then you can call me Cure." Daniel said. "I can heal people; cuts, bruises, burns, that kind of thing."

Afreet nodded.

"But-" Daniel went on. "I don't know what you have planned here, but I can't fight anyone."

"And why is that?"

"I'm fragile." Daniel explained. "Every injury I heal...the pain stays with me. I wouldn't last a second against anyone."

Afreet leaned forward as if peering at him from beneath his blindfold. "You're lying. No one could function under that kind of pain."

"I know." Daniel groaned. "That's what this is for." He took the jug from his belt, refilled his silver flask and drank liberally from it.

Afreet smelled the alcohol on the air. "Clever. I would have used pain pills, personally." He paused. "Let's see just how fragile you are." He reached out and experimentally squeezed Daniel's wrist. Daniel's reaction was immediate. He cried out in a shout and crumpled to the ground. He shivered and shook in pain, clutching his wrist.

"He definitely can't fight." Druj said.

"True," Afreet agreed. "But he could still come in handy." He left Daniel on the floor and stepped to the next in line. "Name?"

"C-Chase. Danny Chase, sir." He was obviously the youngest of the group. He was thirteen and short for his age. A mop of red hair fell into his bespectacled eyes.

"You were the one Druj cut." Afreet realized. "I notice, however, you're no longer cradling your arm. Doesn't it hurt?"

"Nu-uh." The boy shook his head.

"I presume we have Cure to thank for that. Druj?" He motioned his brother over.

Druj reached out, took the boy's arm and looked over it closely. "The wound is gone." He reported. "Not even a scar."

Afreet glanced down at a still recovering Daniel, shakily bringing his flask to his lips. "Very handy indeed." He looked back at the boy. "What's your power, Chase?"

"I don't know what it's called." The little boy murmured. "I can move stuff with m-my mind."

"Like what?"

It was the initial, tentative tug that warned Afreet. Chase's telekinesis pulled away the blindfold covering Afreet's eyes. Afreet clenched his eyes shut immediately and covered them with his hands for good measure.

"You idiot!" Afreet shouted even as he blindly kicked Chase in the chest. "Do you have any idea what you could have done!"

Chase fell beside Daniel and was nearly sniveling before he hit the ground. Daniel stood up and laboriously helped the boy to his feet. Meanwhile, Druj had silently picked up the blindfold and held it out to his brother. Afreet snatched it from him quickly and replaced it on his face.

"Never do that again!" Afreet grated, though he had somewhat regained his composure. He took in a deep breath and turned to the next metahuman in line.

It was impossible. Afreet was blind. All he could see was the darkness in the souls around him. His vision was on a completely different plane. And yet, as clear as day, he saw Starfire before him in all her terrible glory. She was just as Druj had described her. Her red hair whipped on a breeze he couldn't feel like some kind of war banner. Her green eyes glowed and burned with wisps licking out of the corners. She floated just above the ground and held a star bolt out before her. She glared at Afreet, levitating closer.

Afreet backed away from her fearfully, sweating from the heat of the blazing energy she held. "N-no! Stay away from me!"

"Afreet!" Druj said.

"Don't!" Afreet was crawling backwards on his hands. "She'll kill you!"

Druj took two confident steps, drew his sword and held the point to Starfire's throat. "I don't know what you're doing." He said. "But you better stop it _right now_."

The star bolt Starfire held dissipated and she dropped her hand. She wavered like a mirage and in her place was a tall, broad-shouldered teenager in jeans, a black shirt and a half-mask in the shape of a skull, though to Afreet he was simply a humanoid-shaped glow of dark energy; darker than the others. Afreet drew one of his black daggers, teleported and shoved it hilt deep into the teenager's arm. The boy let out a pained cry and then hissed manfully in pain.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Afreet rasped. "No more games! You're all going to stand there and not do anything unless I say so! Now," he looked at his stabbed victim. "Your name and your power. Go."

"Fear." The skull-faced teenager bit off. He breathed shallowly. "I-I can look into people and see their fears. Then I m-make illusions based on them." He cried out again as Afreet jerked out the dagger and blood poured. "Have Cure fix that." Afreet told him heartlessly.

Fear glared after him until Druj stepped between them to block his view. Fear's eyes met Druj's red on black orbs.

"I wouldn't." The swordsman warned him. "What I'm afraid of would tear you apart."

Fear's pained face turned away.

Next in line was a tall girl with bronze skin. Her eyes were dark and angular and a blue bandanna held back long red hair tied in compact braids. "Hey, hey, hey!" She held up her hands non-threateningly. "No drama here, aye?"

"Name. Power."

"Abby." The girl said in her accent. "Bastards back home call me Stainless when they think they're being clever. I can turn my skin to steel."

Julia was last in line. She was fidgeting and hugging herself, anxiously awaiting her turn. "I'm Julia." She said it quickly and unprompted. "B-but you made a mistake. I don't have powers like these other people. I can't fight."

Afreet looked at Druj and something unspoken passed between them. Druj handed him the device Afreet had worn on his wrist during the kidnappings. Afreet pointed it at Julia and the device beeped. "The tech says you have an active metagene." He said as he tossed it back to Druj. "Either you're lying...or you really don't know what your power is. If the latter is true, I suggest you start looking for it."

Afreet looked at the rest of them. "You're here to participate in a metahuman fighting tournament. The winner gets a hundred thousand dollars and their freedom."

"What happens if we lose?" Julia wanted to know.

Afreet stared at her from behind his blindfold. The room went quiet as everyone waited for him to reply.

"...I suggest you win so you don't find out." He said it like the crack of doom. "The fighting starts soon. Get ready."

The glowing lasers reappeared to keep the hostages in place. Afreet teleported out of the cell and walked out of the room beside Druj. As they passed the doorway, Druj leaned in and whispered: "What _does_ happen to the losers?" He asked curiously.

Afreet looked at him with an absolute straight face and shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Maverick was dead. All that was left of him was a black and orange costume shoved into a dumpster near Karen's Shop. Encore had taken his place as Jonny's alter-ego.

Encore was a man beneath a big black hat and a pair of dark, round glasses that were nearly goggles were attached to the brim and masked half of his face. Long black hair – hair that wasn't Jonny's own - poured out from beneath the back. A rust-colored poncho hung over one shoulder and beneath it was a snug black vest and a white collared shirt. He wore a thick belt, dark brown pants and black chaps and boots.

The old arena in the heart of Downtown wasn't quite as old as the name implied. The earthquake ten years prior had caused minor damage and compromised the integrity of the structure. Jump City – that is, the new urban area built around Downtown – was still in its infancy. Because of the arena's location, the city officials had decided not to repair it and instead built a new arena in the safer and richer part of town. The city sold the arena and, over the next several years, it had several owners; all of whom had planned to repair the building and, for whatever reason, all of them never completing the construction. The city finally foreclosed on the last owner and, after more years of political procrastination, it was decided the arena would be demolished to make way for what they deemed to be 'urban renewal'. The metahuman fighting tournament would be the building's swan song before it was reduced to rubble and, most likely, turned into a parking lot.

Encore stood in the street in front of the giant steel dome. He looked up at it as he collected his thoughts and mustered up his resolve. He sighed, fished beneath his poncho and pulled out a cigarette and matches. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, cupped his hand and lit a match. He breathed in and the tip of the cigarette flared.

"_Smoking is bad for you, you know."_

Encore jumped. He looked around quickly, but there was no one around. Encore frowned. The voice had almost sounded like-

"_You don't want to ruin our kisses, do you?"_

There was no doubt this time. The voice belonged to Amber. It hadn't been clear through the constant buzzing in his ears, but it was clear enough. Encore closed his eyes and shivered.

It was his underground training with Slade and Kelly that ultimately saved him. There was a change in the atmosphere and he heard a tiny metallic clink he knew was the shifting of armor. There were two quick, deft footfalls and then a whistling that was a weapon slicing through the air. Encore didn't turn to look; he reacted. He jerked back, stumbling on his heels. A silver blur that was a short sword slashed down just ahead of his nose and cleaved his cigarette in half. Encore jumped out of his stumble and planted his feet. A melody played in his mind and he blindly retaliated with a pair of fireballs.

His attacker deflected on with the small, round buckler attached to her left arm and leaped over the second. The fireball exploded beneath her. The concussion sent her flying up, but she backflipped, twisted and landed gracefully on her feet. Encore grit his teeth and strings of blue electricity danced around his clenched fists. He shifted his weight to-

"Hold." The girl put her sword in the sheath at her hip with a metal slither and held up her hand. "I don't want to fight you."

"You got a hell of a way of showing it, darlin'." The electricity around his hands disappeared, but his eyes – hidden behind his dark glasses – were still a little wild. The cigarette stub hung coldly between his lips.

Encore's attacker was a long-legged woman nearly as tall as he was with pale, alabaster skin and speckled green eyes. She wore a chain mail coif that covered her head, framed her oval face and cascaded down her regal neck. Smooth steel pauldrons protected her shoulders and bracers covered her wrists. A small, round buckler was attached to the her left bracer and was reinforced by riveted steel. She wore an embossed steel breastplate over a thin, long-sleeved black shirt and a thick girdle held her blade at her hip. Her legs were covered by light blue jeans and high steel boots – jointed at the ankle and the knee – protected her legs even further. There was also a peculiar white half-cloak connected to her right shoulder pauldron that looped around her neck before flowing down her back. It looked more like a war banner than a suitable garment. All in all, despite the commonplace clothes beneath her armor, it was obvious she was dressed for battle.

"I wouldn't talk so lightly of hell if I were you." She warned Encore.

"Why's that?"

The armored woman reached below her breastplate and brought out her necklace. She leaned forward to show Jonny the glowing red jewel and pulsated like a beating heart. "Because if my necklace is right," she said. "You're going to see it first-hand very soon."

A chill shot through Encore's body. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked tightly.

The warrior woman shook her head and replaced the necklace beneath her armor. Instead, she asked: "Why are you participating in this tournament?"

Encore opened his mouth to answer, but then he quickly thought better of it. He crossed his arms across his chest and cocked his hip to the side. "I don't think so. You'll have to forgive me if I ain't falling all over myself to trust you."

A look of irritation crossed the warrior's face. "Are all men this distrustful of strangers?"

"Only strangers that try to cut us in half with swords."

Her eyes flickered down to her sword hilt. "It's called a gladius." She corrected him.

"Whatever, Gladius Girl. The point is that you tried to give _me_ the _point_!"

The girl coined as Gladius Girl let out a frustrated huff. "I don't care about specifics." She said. "I just care about your motivation. You can reveal that without telling any of your precious secrets, can't you? You don't have the spirit of a warrior. You don't have the urge to prove your mettle in battle. So why are you here?"

"I'm here to help out a friend." Encore said. "Nothing more."

"Is that so?" Gladius Girl was unconvinced. "I understand the winner gets a large sum of money. That doesn't interest you at all?"

Encore looked away and didn't answer. Gladius Girl let out a harsh laugh. "That's what I thought." She said. "Even with the best intentions, men can't leave their greed behind." She took the cigarette stub out of Encore's mouth and threw it to the ground. "Sign ups are inside. Let's go." She turned her back on him and walked towards the front of the stadium, leaving Encore with no choice but to trail behind her.

TTTTTTTTTT

The tournament sign-up room was a large, buttressed lobby near the outer ring of the complex. There were three judges sitting at tables while lines of costumed teens waited their turn. Those already signed up lounged about the room. Some grouped together to talk strategy. Others sauntered around and talked trash to anyone who would listen. Others found secluded spots and sized up the competition. Aquagirl and Beast Boy – in the fleshy pink disguise of Garfield – had found a quiet corner to unobtrusively scope the place out.

Aquagirl shuddered as Fang – the half-spider man the Titans had encountered more than once – shambled by on four arachnid legs. "I knew there would be some weirdos here," she said. "But I didn't think it would be a freak parade!"

Garfield smirked at her. "You do remember that you have gills and I'm usually green, right?" He pointed out.

"You know what I mean." Aquagirl insisted. "You and the Titans use your powers to help people. The metahumans here just use theirs to beat the crap out of each other."

"Everyone deals with their powers in different ways; especially when they're not born with them." Garfield said. "They change you and it can be hard to adjust, you know? You're handling it better than anyone I've seen. You should be proud of yourself, Aquagirl."

Aquagirl looked at him gratefully, but then she shrugged it off. "It helps that you and the Titans have been helping me so much." She paused as a dark look crossed her face. "Except for Robin, anyway. He doesn't want me here."

"Maybe he's just worried about you getting hurt."

"He's worried about me but not Indigo?" Aquagirl said. "No, it's something else. He doesn't trust me." She looked across the way where the blue girl stood in line to sign them up for the tournament. "Why does he trust her and not me? He just _met_ her!"

"Cyborg kinda backed her up." Garfield reminded her.

"Raven vouched for me. What's the difference?"

Garfield didn't have an answer for that. Aquagirl might had said more, but then a poncho'd cowboy in a black hat and dark, round shades that served as a masked walked up to them. A girl in silver-gray armor trailed after him. The cowboy showed them a picture of a teen boy. "Have you seen this hombre?" He asked them.

Garfield and Aquagirl blinked and peered at the picture. Then, as one, they shook their heads.

"Thanks, anyway." The cowboy sighed and moved on. The girl, however, stopped and peered closely at Garfield.

"You're Beast Boy." She finally said. "I can hardly recognize you."

Garfield started to choke. "N-n-n-no, I'm not!"

"Don't worry. I have no interest in revealing your deception." Gladius Girl assured him. "The two of you aren't seriously trying to win this tournament, are you? You're just trying to find out who is behind it, correct?"

Garfield and Aquagirl stared at her.

"As I thought." She said. "Just be sure not to injure yourselves. I'm going to need you."

"Need us for what?" Aquagirl asked.

"I'll tell you when the time comes." Gladius Girl turned away and threw over her shoulder: "Be sure not to get yourselves hurt."

Garfield and Aquagirl blinked after her.

"What the heck was that about?" Aquagirl said.

"I have no idea..."

Across the room, Encore continued to question people over Daniel's picture. He approached a woman under a white hood sitting along a wall. When she looked up at him there was a white screen to hide her face. Encore realized that, while he couldn't see in, she had no trouble looking out. He held up the picture of Daniel.

"Excuse me, miss. Have you seen this fellow?" He asked her.

"He's not here." The hooded girl said, her voice muffled through the screen. "They're holding the kidnapped metahumans in another part of the building."

"How do you know that?"

The girl didn't get a chance to answer Encore turned and looked up to see a video screen lowering from the ceiling. There was a wave of snowy static and then a picture of thin-eyed woman in a red, oriental-cut kimono.

"Attention combatants." Her voice came over the arena's intercom system. "For those of you who don't know, I am Roulette: The world's most prestigious fight promoter and this is the Inaugural Jump City Metahuman Tournament. The winner walks away with a cool one hundred grand and the pride in knowing he or she is the best Jump City has to offer. For those who happen to fall, all is not lost. Impressive feats of strength even in defeat will be rewarded after the tournament, so be sure to stick around."

"The rules are simple." The digital image of Roulette continued. "You advance when your opponent can no longer fight. The manner in which you incapacitate your opponent is up to you, though you get no extra considerations if you decide to kill." She paused to let that sink in. "Now, the independent turnout is impressive, if I do say so myself. Too impressive, as it turns out. Unfortunately, we only have this building for the day so we must thin the ranks a bit. The first match in the tournament will be a Free For All Battle Royale. For those of you unfamiliar with the format, this means that every competitor will compete in the battleground at once under a five minute time limit. Those who are incapacitated will be eliminated from the tournament. The seeds for the following brackets will be determined by how many fighters the winners of the royale eliminated. In laymen's terms: The more people you take out, the easier your road to the championship will be. Sign-ups will close in five minutes and the Battle Royale will begin soon! Prepare yourselves and be sure to fight your hardest!"

The screen went black and then Roulette's face was replaced with a countdown to the end of sign-ups. Encore turned back to the hooded girl he had been talking to, but she was gone. Back in her corner, Aquagirl took in a deep, shuddering breath.

"T-this is really happening, isn't it?" She asked.

Garfield gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Aquagirl was sure to hide her trembling hand. "Just a case of pre-fight jitters, I think. I'm going outside for some fresh air."

"Want some company?"

"No thanks." She smiled gratefully at his offer. "I just need to clear my head."

"Okay. Just don't take too long. The fight will be starting soon." Garfield reminded her.

Aquagirl turned, avoided a hulking teen boy in red armor and stepped outside. Encore saw her go out and, on a whim, followed after her. He stopped short of going outside and stood by the side window to look out. He watched the girl in the limbless black, blue and white wetsuit reach her hand out to a nearby water fountain. Water came out of the upturned faucet in gravity-defying fashion. In a stream of goblets, like fleeing snakes Encore had sometimes found under hay bales in the barn back home, the water slithered through the air towards Aquagirl. The liquid hugged hugged her form, cycling over her as strings of rivulets like a second skin. Encore watched in rapt fascination as the water moved across her in a hypnotic dance he had never seen before. He found he had been holding his breath and let it out in wistful sigh.

The water lifted her up and Aquagirl floated in the air like some kind of goddess of the sea. She folded her legs beneath her, closed her eyes, held out her elbows and gracefully arced her fingertips together. Encore didn't know what she was doing, but it was obvious it was an inward, solitary and perhaps even spiritual act. He knew he should leave the girl alone, but he couldn't help himself. He quietly opened the door and lightly stepped outside with her.

"Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..." Aquagirl chanted. "Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..." Though she tried to relax and clear her mind, her furrowed brow gave away her tenseness.

"What is that?" Encore asked. "French?"

Aquagirl peeked open one eye to look at him. "Azarathian."

"Aza-what-ian?"

"I'm meditating, okay?"

Encore looked at her closer. Along with her tense brow, Aquagirl's jaw was clenched and her shoulders were rigid. "You don't look very meditative to me." Encore pointed out. "You're nervous about fighting, ain't you?"

Aquagirl opened both of her dark eyes this time. They betrayed her fear for only a moment before they hardened. "How do you know that? You some kind of mind reader?"

"No, ma'am." Encore dug his hands beneath his poncho, lit a cigarette and leaned back against the window. "You just look how I feel. I do my meditation with nicotine, if you don't mind."

"You don't look nervous." Aquagirl said.

"I'm too insecure to show it." The cowboy said it in such a way that Aquagirl couldn't be sure if he was joking or not. "Does that chanting stuff really help?" He asked her.

"It's supposed to. I'm still kinda new at it."

"Well, don't let me interrupt you." Encore said.

"Of course not." Aquagirl rolled her eyes, but then she closed them. She had only repeated the mantra a few times, however, when Encore spoke again.

"I think I know what the problem is." He said.

Aquagirl looked at him irritably. "You're an expert on meditation now?"

"No, ma'am. But I know a thing or two about music."

"What's music have to do with anything?"

"Those words you're saying." Encore said. "A chant might as well be a song without music. But even without music, you have to stay in time and use the same meter. You're saying it different every time."

"You think I should sing?"

"That's not what I'm saying. Just...when you close your eyes and start to chant...think of a melody. Keep it inside your head and use it to time your chant. It ought to be smoother that way."

"...what kind of melody?" Aquagirl asked.

"I don't know." Encore shrugged and blew out smoke. "Just make one up."

Aquagirl nodded and closed her eyes again. A long moment passed.

"I can't think of one." She admitted.

"Here." Encore was thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded to himself. "Try this." He hummed a short, slow tune.

Aquagirl hummed it, too. "Like that?"

"Yes, ma-"

"Stop calling me ma'am. The name's Aquagirl."

"Yes, m-" Encore stopped himself and cleared this throat. "Sure thing, Aquagirl."

Aquagirl closed her eyes yet again and, with the water suspending her in air, began to chant. The words came out slower, clearer and much more measured as she played the melody Encore had hummed in her head. Her face relaxed and her shoulders lowered and her breathing became deep and even.

She was suddenly submerged completely in water; a clear, saltless sea that had engulfed the universe. She suddenly realized that this watery plane wasn't a universe at all, but the representation of her own mind that Raven had told her about. She marveled at how empty it was. There was just water as far as she could see. All of that watery emptiness disheartened her. And then there was something. It was shadowy at first, but then it became clearer. Something was reaching through the depths to her. And then, all at once, it sharpened into a clarity. A giant hand wrapped around her before she could contemplate escape and shook her-

Aquagirl was suddenly outside the arena again. Encore was calling her name and gently shaking her shoulder. She reached up to grasp his hand and skin touched skin.

_FLASH!_

_A short-haired boy – a boy Aquagirl realized was Encore – ran across a green field of tall grass. He turned just in time to catch a football thrown by a tall, broad-shouldered boy with dark skin. There was a smile on both their faces._

_Then the same short-haired boy sat by a bubbling brook next to an almond-eyed Asian girl. The two of them laughed as each of them attempted to tickle the other while avoiding being tickled themselves. Behind them was a fishing pole stuck in the sand bending sharply as a fish took the bait, but both of them ignored it._

_The boy that was Encore rode horseback across the prairie next to a dark-haired, silver-eyed girl as a sunset lengthened their shadows behind them._

_Then he was with the girl in hayloft, kissing her passionately._

_The welter of images and feelings continued and Aquagirl found it harder and harder to identify each one._

_Encore was on the floor somewhere beside a bed, clutching the hanging blanket and crying into it._

_He held a soft, fleshy bundle in trembling arms._

_On a front porch somewhere, he balled up his fist and punched an old farmer in faded coveralls in the face._

_Then he was in the city, and Aquagirl recognized it as Jump City. He leaned out of golden trolley as it chugged down the street._

_He was in a small bed, cuddled up with a warm body in the drafty cold._

_There was the overwhelming fear and exhilaration of flight._

_In the cockpit of a subway train, with his legs tangled up with hers, Encore kissed a pretty, dark-faced girl._

_Then he laid alone in a ratty hotel room that transformed somehow into a park bench and then into a phone booth where he sat curled in the corner._

_FLASH!_

Aquagirl gasped and drew her hand away. She fell to the ground, the water suddenly finding gravity alongside her and splashing.

"Aquagirl! Are you all right?" Encore hovered over her with concern.

Aquagirl looked up at him, her face soft and her lower lip quivering. She reached up to him, but stopped short of touching his cheek. "You're so sad." She half-whispered. "So very sad..."

Encore looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, but then he softly shook himself out of it. He gently reach down and helped her to her feet. "Come along now." He said soothingly. "The fighting is gonna start soon."

Aquagirl nodded slowly and allowed him to lead her back inside, but her mind was still a million miles away. Try as she might, sh couldn't begin to fathom the connection she had just made with this stranger that suddenly wasn't a stranger anymore.


	37. Oct 8: Not Worth The Wait

"_It's you, isn't it?" - Encore_

_**October 8th **_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Round One: Not Worth The Wait**_

On the roof of a brown and dilapidated factory three miles away from the arena, Robin crouched behind a rusty smokestack and peered at it through a pair of red and black binoculars. Raven stood somewhat behind him, hidden from view on the far side of a ventilation shaft that emerged upwards and curved out. Her blue hood was up over her head and her cloak somehow enveloped her figure and helped make her form indistinct. The Boy Wonder watched as Encore helped Aquagirl to her feet in a small rest area just outside the arena doors and led her back inside. He lowered the binoculars and narrowed his eye slits in thought.

"Aquagirl is making friends quickly." He observed. "I guess that's a talent of hers."

Raven looked at him dispassionately. "I'm assuming that comment is aimed at me." She said. "And of course you're worried about it."

"I've never seen you develop a friendship with someone so quickly."

"And that's a crime?" There was an edge to Raven's voice.

Robin glanced over his shoulder at her. "Of course not, Raven. It's just strange...and strange makes me nervous."

"Then you made the wrong career choice." Raven told him. "Does this have anything to do with why you don't trust her?" She went on when he didn't answer. "I should be the first person you tell if you think she's not being honest with us. If our friendship is some kind of sham-"

"No," Robin assured her quickly. "I'm convinced her friendship with you is genuine; it's most likely the most genuine thing about her. You shouldn't worry about that."

"What should I worry about, then?" Robin once again gave her the silent treatment. She stepped forward and lightly put a hand on his shoulder. "I know this goes against everything you've been taught, Robin, but secrets are dangerous. They're like an infection and, if you keep them hidden, they have a way of festering and drawing people apart. I don't want that to happen to us."

Robin looked up at her and then laid his gloved hand on hers. "Me, either, Raven. But this is one secret I have to keep for now. You'll just have to trust me."

Raven looked into his masked face and nodded. "I do, Robin. We all do."

Robin gave her a grateful look and turned away again.

"It's just _infuriating._" Raven added.

Robin couldn't help but smile at that admission. Then he reached into his utility belt and brought out his Titan communicator.

In a ratty hotel a couple miles to the east, Cyborg and Starfire were camped out in a second story room. The alien warrior princess laid restlessly on the cheaply covered bed while Cyborg sat in front of the glass door leading out to the balcony. The yellowed drapes were mostly closed, only leaving a small crack for him to peer through. There was a mechanical, depressurized hiss and a short tube emerged from the metal part of Cyborg's head, pivoted and conveniently stopped in front of his red optic. The short telescopic device allowed him to see much more clearly than any pair of binoculars or goggles Robin possessed.

The device on Cyborg's forearm beeped and Robin's face flashed up on the tiny LCD screen.

"_Report."_ Robin got right to the point.

"Nice to see you, too, man." Cyborg quipped, but then he got to business. "We've seen a lot of familiar faces go in. Hive Five, Adonis and Punk Rocket just to name a few. I recognized some members of the former Brotherhood of Evil, too."

"_It was just a matter of time."_ Robin sighed. _"You can't keep villains like that on ice forever...pardon the pun."_

"I wish Beast Boy had heard you say that. Oh!" Cyborg suddenly said as he remembered. "Even you girlfriend Kitten is here, too!"

"_Kitten is not my girlfriend!"_

"Kitten is not Robin's girlfriend!" Starfire and Robin thundered as one person. Cyborg chuckled, sweat dropped at the double glares and then let his laugh die out nervously.

"Anyway!" He went on, bypassing the awkward moment. "We haven't seen anyone go in for a while now. My guess is that most of the fighters have arrived...which means the fighting will start soon."

"_There's one way to find out for sure. I'll check on Walker and then contact Beast Boy. I'll call back when I learn something. Robin, out."_

The screen went to black and Cyborg allowed his telescopic eye aid to retract into his skull. He stood up from the low stool he had been siting on and stretched his metal muscles; more out of habit than any real need to do so.

"Guess there's nothing to do now but wait." He said.

"I dislike waiting." Starfire said. "I have never been proficient at it."

Cyborg gave her a look of mild surprise. "You could have fooled me." He said. "You're always so patient when you're talking with us. You have a knack for not prying and...I don't know...kind of waiting out our feelings. It's easy to confide in you, Starfire."

"I am glad for that, Cyborg, but that is not what I meant. Being patient with my friends is easy to do." She said. "My race is a race of warriors. We fight with vigor and righteous fury. We are in our element when we fight, but waiting for the battle can be unbearable at times."

Cyborg sat down on the foot of the bed. "I kind of know how you feel." He said. "Back before my accident, I was a football player. I was pretty good, too. It's like a battle when you're on the field. Your team is competing with the other one. Hitting them. Trying to dominate them. Just less casualties, I guess. Anyway, when I was on the field, it was the greatest feeling in the world. The sweat and the competition and the pain and joy. There's nothing like leading your team to a victory."

"But," he went on. "Before a game was always tough on me. Sitting in the locker room, just waiting. The anxiety and anticipation reaches a fever pitch, ya know? I think it's hard for everyone and everybody deals with it differently. Some people get rowdy and like to make noise. Bang their helmets against the lockers and bark and stuff. Others like to jog in place, move around and get the blood flowing. I knew some guys – great players – that would throw up before every game."

"And you felt this way as well?" Starfire asked. "How did you cope with it?"

"I was a little different." Cyborg said. "I coped with it by helping others cope with it. I'd go around the room and try to help people out. Relax then and ease the tension, you know? By focusing on other people, I kind of helped myself at the same time. I bet you understand that more than anybody."

Starfire nodded, but her emerald eyes were a million miles away. She sat up and folded her knees beneath her. Cyborg took in the look and body language in a single glance.

"That's not _really_ what's bothering you, is it?" He guessed.

"You know me too well." Starfire gave him a fond smile. Then she sighed. "Do you...do you ever worry about the team?"

Cyborg cocked his head at her. "I don't know what you mean."

"I mean...over the years we have been together, I find I take our victories for granted." Starfire explained. "We are engaged in war against the villains of the world. And there are casualties in war. I fear it is only a matter of time before...one of us falls. I do not know if I could handle that. I do not know if _we_ could handle that."

"Haven't we already?" Cyborg said it softly. "I know she's back now – or so says Beast Boy – but when Terra was stone-"

"But even then," Starfire interrupted. "There was hope she could be restored. I speak of the possibility of...one of us dying in battle."

Cyborg affectionately squeezed her knee. "What brought this on?" He asked her gently. "Why are you thinking like this all of a sudden?"

And so Starfire told him about the nightmares she had been having for the past several nights, all of which were gory images of Robin losing his life.

"Robin assured me they are just dreams." Starfire finished up. "But then he found trace amounts of chronotons in my bedroom. I fear...I fear they are not dreams, but premonitions of the future."

"How is that possible?"

"I do not know. But now," Starfire's tone suddenly went from despair to frustration. "Robin deliberately separates us. I feel the need now more than ever to protect him and he purposely thwarts me! I am sure he thinks I am doing the smothering."

"I was kind of wondering why he paired us up the way he did." Cyborg said. "As far as this Mystery Machine goes, you and Robin are Fred and Daphne."

"A-and I suppose Beast Boy is the talking canine?"

Cyborg blinked several times and then he laughed. "Wow, Starfire. I didn't think you'd get that. Pop culture references usually go over your head."

"I have been here on this planet for some time now." Starfire pointed out. "My education is slow, but I am learning." She sighed again.

"You know, there's an old saying. An old earth saying, of course." Cyborg corrected himself. "It says that the best way to protect something is to set it free. I know you're worried about Robin, but he's more than proven that he can take care of himself."

"I know that, Cyborg. It is his attitude about this situation that worries me. He acts as if nothing is wrong. I would feel better if he merely demonstrated a small amount of caution."

"Robin would say he's always cautious."

"I hope so."

Cyborg's forearm communicator beeped again. "Speak of the devil..." He said as he answered it. Again Robin's face appeared on the tiny monitor with Raven's blue silhouette behind him. "What did Beast Boy have to say?" Cyborg asked him.

"_Nothing. I could barely hear him. There's some kind electronic interference that's distorting the feed."_

"You think whoever the ringleader is has it set up that way on purpose?"

"_Maybe. It's hard to say for sure, though. This operation is going to be tough if we can't contact our people on the inside."_

Cyborg thought about it. "Let me try to patch in to Indigo." He said. "Her tech is a lot more advanced than our stuff. Maybe I can connect to her. It might take a little while to get through, though."

"_Try it."_ Robin approved. _"I'll check in on Walker while I wait. Let me know when it's done."_ He hesitated. _"How's Starfire?"_ He asked.

Cyborg realized that the angle of his forearm hid her from view. He glanced sidelong at her before he answered. "A little antsy, but she'll be ready when the time comes. She always is."

"_Of course."_

"Maybe you should ask her yourself." Cyborg said pointedly.

"_Maybe later. I don't-" _Robin looked like he might say more, but then he shook it off. _"Robin, out."_

On the far side of the domed arena, completing the triangle of vantage points, was Commissioner Walker. He sat behind the wheel of a dated, bland-colored sedan parked near the mouth of an alleyway. He was wrapped up in his customary dusty long coat and rumpled tie. His window was down and he puffed away irritably at a cigarette. The thumb of his free hand thumpthumpthumped against the steering wheel in an uncoordinated and often changing melody. Beside him in the passenger seat was Officer Brian Murphy. He wore a sturdy plaid jacket over his dark blue uniform and, even with his dark skin, the puffy bruise just over his eye when the assassin that had broken into the metahuman cell to kill Jeff had hit him with his sword hilt was still clearly visible. His window was down as well and he pointedly pointed his face out at the fresh air. Commissioner Walker ignored his discomfort.

"So, Ryan-" He started to say, but Officer Murphy interrupted him.

"It's actually Brian, sir."

"Right, right, whatever." Walker brushed the correction aside. "You got any kids?"

"My wife's working on our first, actually." Murphy said proudly. "A boy."

"You're lucky." Walker grunted and exhaled smoke. "I got a little girl that's not so little anymore."

"She a handful?"

"You have _no_ idea." Walker stressed. "She got all my bad traits, all of her mother's good traits and she happens to hate me."

Murphy wasn't sure how to respond to that. "I-I'm sorry to hear that, sir."

"Kids always get pissy when you try to protect them. It's annoying."

A beeping rang out and Walker reached into his jacket to bring out an unmarked communicator. "What can I do for you, Bird Boy?" He asked.

"_I'm just checking in."_ Robin replied, unaffected by the nickname. He used to ruffle under the name, but now he just ignored it. He had a way of sucking all the fun out of it._ "Are your men in place?"_

"Yeah. And they were in place ten minutes ago, too." The Commissioner sounded slightly offended. "My men are good, Robin. I don't have to babysit them. If something comes up, they know to call me."

"_Of course, Commissioner. I didn't mean to doubt them. I'm just a little wound up. I guess I just needed someone to talk to."_

"That's not like you." Walker said. "Since when did you become a chatterbox?"

Robin smirked. _"Blame it on teenage hormones."_ He said.

"I always do. What did Beast Boy have to say?"

"_Nothing. I couldn't get through to him. Cyborg is trying again now to-"_ His masked face looked distracted. _"As a matter of fact, he's calling back now. I'll get back to you later, Commissioner. Robin, out."_

Walker grunted sourly and replaced the communicator in his coat. "Damn teenagers." He complained. Then he looked over at Officer Murphy. "Enjoy the first twelve years or so of your kid, Ryan. Once they become teenagers it's all downhill."

"My name is Brian, sir."

"Whatever!"

Back on the factory roof, Robin motioned Raven over and she peered over his crouched shoulder at the direct link opened between them, Cyborg and Starfire and Indigo.

"_There is an electromagnetic field inside the arena scrambling communication." _Indigo reported. _"It seems to be originating from a luxury box high above the arena floor. The windows are tinted, so it's impossible to see who or what is inside."_

"You can bet the mastermind of the operation is in there." Raven said.

"_That seems like a logical conclusion."_ Indigo agreed.

"_Is there any way for us to get inside without being detected?"_ Starfire asked.

"_I don't think so."_ Indigo shook her blue head. _"There are guards everywhere and an energy field is over the door. Odds of gaining entry without being seen are slim at best."_ Her pink eyes grew thoughtful. _"It's possible I could use my technology to wirelessly jack into the computer inside. If I can take over the network, I could disable the door and perhaps give us a better opportunity to infiltrate. It will have to wait, however. The first round begins soon."_

"_Be careful, Indigo."_ Cyborg said.

"And check in as soon as you can." Robin added.

"_Of course. End transmission."_

TTTTTTTTTT

The inside of the old arena was dark, musty and smelled of age. The arena floor was fenced off by a tall steel grating covered with reinforced glass to protect the spectators and contain the super-powered fights soon to come. While the arena seating could have easily held thousands, there were only a few hundred people in attendance. Most of them had the telltale signs – such as priceless jewelry, suits and shoes – of the criminal elite. The bets were lavish and the atmosphere was like that of a high profile boxing match. Even more than the betting, these people had come for the blood thirst; to see violence ordinary men and women could never be capable of.

Everyone in the audience was worth millions; all save for two. The first was Thomas Austin, the man who had met with Marcus Verilli the previous morning. The grizzled ex-cop stuck out like a sore thumb in his cheap, old gray suit. Yet his cool, confident air dissuaded anyone from questioning his presence there. He sat several rows back from the arena floor and, despite the dimness, wore a large pair of amber-colored sunglasses. The second was Holly Walker, the stubborn private eye with her iconic red coat, gold eyeglasses and smoking cancer stick. She stood unobtrusively near the back of the seating level and leaned against a dull metal embrasure to watch her brown-skinned target from afar. Mr. Austin, however, was much craftier than she had guessed. Holly was more than a little surprised when he turned in his seat, looked up and waved for her to join him. Holly grumbled, dropped her cigarette and stomped down to him. She shimmied down the row and brusquely plopped down beside him.

"How long have you known I've been tailing you?" She cut right to the chase.

"I suspect you've been following me since I left the hotel this morning," Mr. Austin said calmly. "But I didn't notice you until after breakfast. You have good technique, but your driving is a little jerky."

"It's a rental car." Holly said sourly. "I'm still getting used to it. I can thank your friend Verilli for trashing my regular ride."

"Ah," Mr. Austin said knowingly. "So it was you at the Verilli Estate yesterday morning. You should be proud that you gave him such a start. Mr. Verilli _really_ hates it when he doesn't feel secure. He was sure his security was perfect."

"It was pretty good." Holly admitted. "But any security is going to have holes in it once you take out a couple guards."

"You killed them?" He sounded only mildly curious.

"No. I Solid Snake'd it."

Mr. Austin looked at her blankly.

"Oh, right. You're old." Holly realized. "I bashed them over the head a few times with the butt of my pistol and dragged them behind some bushes." She explained. "I'm sure they woke up with some lumps and a hell of a headache, but nothing permanent."

"That's actually pretty impressive. Verilli's guard is made up of ex-law enforcement and mercenaries and mafia lieutenants. They aren't your run of the mill rent-a-cops."

"You're way too old for me, pops, so let's stop with the flattery and get down to business, all right? Who are you and what did Verilli hire you to do?"

Mr. Austin laughed and his off-white teeth contrasted with his brown lips. "Oh no, young lady. You can't play the ignorant card with me. You wouldn't be following me if you didn't know anything."

"I don't know anything you can't find out from Google." Holly said. "You're Thomas Austin; former detective retired from the Bludhaven Police Department. Now why would a mayoral candidate meet with a lifelong flatfoot?"

"We're old acquaintances." Mr. Austin answered vaguely.

"And by old acquaintances you mean you made a career out of looking the other way and covering Verilli's tracks while his smuggling business made Bludhaven an even bigger hellhole than it already was. Am I right?"

Mr. Austin looked at her but confessed to nothing. "Why hasn't Verilli killed you yet?" He asked bluntly.

Holly flashed an incandescent grin. "He's tried. Twice. I'm too stubborn to die."

"Just what do you want from him?"

Holly's lips turned into a grim line. "I think he killed my mother." She said it gravely. "I'm gonna make him pay for it."

Mr. Austin leaned in and removed his sunglasses to peer closer at her. He squinted and studied her face for a span of several heartbeats. "...Holly?"

Holly's blue eyes widened, but then she whipped out the pistol hidden beneath her jacket and pressed it uncomfortably into Mr. Austin's ribs. "Verilli told you my name, didn't he?" She demanded scathingly in his ear.

Mr. Austin didn't look too terribly worried. "What are you going to do, Ms. Walker?" He asked. "Murder me in cold blood in front of a hundred witnesses?"

"No one's paying us any attention." Holly told him. "We're as inconspicuous as the eye color of a stripper."

"How inconspicuous will we be when you fire?"

"If that happens, you won't be around to care." Holly pressed the pistol firmer into his side. "I'd be long gone before anyone realized what was going on and I don't think anyone in _this_ crowd would be anxious to talk to the police. Now tell me how you know my name!"

"Verilli didn't tell me." Mr. Austin said calmly, though he winced at the discomfort of the gun barrel. "He just said you were a snooping private eye and left it at that. I met you when you were much younger. You still had bows in your hair. It was ten years ago."

"When Jump City was built around the old town?"

"And when Verilli moved here." Mr. Austin nodded. "I came to warn the commissioner about him, but he was already in Verilli's pocket. I snooped around a bit and your dad was the highest ranking officer – he was just a lieutenant at the time – that wasn't in Verilli's camp so I warned him instead. You happened to be there when I approached him. You were in that awkward stage between being a kid and a teenager; all legs and elbows."

"What do you know about my mother's death?" Holly demanded.

"I don't know anything. I warned your dad and then went back to Bludhaven. My conscious was clear."

"Why warn anyone about Verilli when you worked for him?" Holly wanted to know.

"I didn't _choose_ to work for him." Mr. Austin allowed some regret to show in his voice. "I did it because he made me. I didn't want anyone else to go through what I did. Verilli always gets what he wants, one way or another."

Holly looked at him for a long moment. Then she took away the pistol from his side and returned it under her coat. "That's a bullshit answer." She decided.

"Think what you want." Mr. Austin said coldly. "Any other questions for me, Ms. Walker?"

"Yeah. How the hell did Verilli know I was snooping at his place? There's no way anyone saw me."

Mr. Austin smiled but said nothing. Holly might have said more, but then the spotlights flashed on and upbeat, pulsating music played through the arena speakers. Multiple entrances to the arena floor opened and colorfully costumed teenagers filed into the dust covered fighting grounds. Holly happened to be looking at Mr. Austin when he saw Aquagirl. His eyes flashed with surprise and recognition. Holly blinked and followed his line of sight to see the short-haired girl in the leotard wetsuit.

"Who is she?" Holly asked him, but Mr. Austin just shook his head. He looked at the detective with engaged eyes.

"I'm going to tell you what I told your father." He said seriously. "Don't cross Verilli. No matter how good you think you are, you _will_ lose. Get as far away from him as you can while you still have the opportunity to do so." He stood up and began to maneuver his way down the line of seats. He passed two young women, one shorter than the other, both with wide-brimmed hats and fashionable sunglasses.

"Where are you going?" Holly said. "The fight's about to start!"

"That's not why I'm here. Goodbye, Ms. Walker."

"Then why are you here!" Holly shouted over the increasingly loud crowd. If Mr. Austin heard her, he gave no indication. He hurried up the aisle steps and lost himself in the crowd as they came to their feet in anticipation.

Holly frowned and looked back at Aquagirl. She looked at her speculatively and then fished inside her rust-colored jacket for her digital camera. She zoomed in and focused on Aquagirl's face.

CLICK!

TTTTTTTTTT

Encore and Aquagirl stepped out of the short tunnel and onto the arena floor. The spotlights shining down were bright and Aquagirl shielded her eyes to look around. Encore's eyes were much better protected by the brim of his cowboy hat and the dark round sunglasses he used to mask his face, so he saw their surroundings much more clearly at first. The ground was covered with a thick layer of tallow sand. It was grainy and gritty, nowhere near fine enough to be confused with the sand one might find at the beach. Encore experimentally ran his foot across it and the flat bottom of his boot slid over it much more easily that he would have liked. He immediately foresaw that keeping his feet under him during the fighting would be a challenge. He looked up then and noticed the crowd for the first time, clustered on a balcony section just below a tinted luxury box. It was a small group, perhaps a hundred or so and could nearly be matched in number by the tournament participants. It was lively, however, and they shouted and yelled encouragement at their favorite fighter. Encore suddenly heard a buzzing in his ears but whether it came from the crowd or his nerves or from some other unseen source, he couldn't tell.

Other fighters funneled onto the arena floor through more tunnels. Many of them reacted just as Encore had, looking around carefully and testing their footing. Others took a step further. They reached down, grasped a handful of the sand and tested the consistency of it by letting it filter through their fingers. Some even went so far as to sprinkle it over their weapons and even tasted it. Encore got the feeling that, even though everyone was roughly the same age, that he was very, very green while many others were very, very experienced.

Both he and Aquagirl flinched visibly when the steel doors slammed shut behind them and, one by one, sealed off the other tunnels as well. The dozens and dozens of fighters had all arrived and were in the process of cautiously putting distance between each other and finding just the right position. They began eying each other, picking out who they saw as weak targets and warily watching those that looked poised to attack them. The air was thick with tension and the pulsating, high-energy techno beat that raged out of the arena speakers didn't help to alleviate it. Encore found himself fidgeting and bouncing against his will, unable to restrain the pent up energy and anticipation inside him. For once, he was thankful for the training Slade had put him through.

Aquagirl was much more subdued. Her clear white skin was even paler than usual as she looked around at the other fighters. She realized the awful potential of violence that was about to occur. She didn't have the comfort of Encore's training. Raven had briefly coached her the previous night in the training room of Titans Tower, but it wasn't nearly enough. She felt like she was getting ready for a teeball game while everyone else was warming up for the major leagues. Her hands began to shake. Doubt crept into her soul. She was in over her head here. She didn't belong here. She shouldn't have ever agreed to this. Robin was right. She couldn't do this. She looked over at Encore and found he had been watching the panic rise up inside her. He looked at her solemnly and, in a flash so quick she didn't even have time to see his eye color, he lowered his shades to wink at her. Aquagirl blinked back at him, regained her composure and rolled her eyes at the gesture. Still, something about it made her feel better. At least she had an ally nearby. She knew in all logic that she shouldn't trust this cowboy she had only just met, but the experience out in the arena courtyard when they had connected through her meditation made her feel as if she knew him for much longer.

Aquagirl took in a deep breath and, much calmer this time, took another look around the arena floor. She spotted Beast Boy in his blonde human form on one end and, on the other, the blue-skinned Indigo. She had friends with her and Raven's faith. She could do this. She was ready.

In front of another tunnel was Verilli's personal assassin, the swordsman the criminal underworld knew as the urban legend called Black Eyes. His clothes were loose and dark and his wooden sword was strapped across his back. He stared across the arena floor from behind dark shades at Julia who leaned against the outer wall and trembled. Beside him was a hulking shirtless behemoth with a fuzzy flattop haircut and a physique like a marble statue. Brightly colored bits of thong were tied around his upper arms for no other reason than to accentuate the size of his bulging biceps. The big man looked over Black eyes and quickly summed him up.

"You're too small to be fighting in a tournament like this, don't ya think?" He said. Black Eyes didn't bother to answer and continued to look at Julia. The shirtless fighter followed his gaze. "She's cute, I guess." He grunted. "A little skinny for my tastes, but whatever floats your boat...or in this case, whatever unfurls your sail! Hah!" He smiled goofily.

Black eyes glanced at him in irritation.

"Why the silent treatment, man? Are you mute or something?"

"What do you want?" Black Eyes asked him flatly.

"This place is gonna go crazy once everything starts." The fighter pointed out. "Our odds of advancing would go through the roof if we had someone watching out for us. You know what I mean?"

"Are you suggesting we team up?"

"Rules don't say we can't! You watch my back and I'll watch yours! What do you say?"

Black Eyes smirked at him. "Okay." He agreed. "It's a deal."

"Awesome!" The muscled man rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

The warrior Encore had dubbed as Gladius Girl had silently been making her battle preparations nearby. She sniffed disdainfully and shook her head. "You're a fool." She told the gloating fighter bluntly. He gave her an angry look and then laughed harshly.

"You're just mad 'cause _you_ didn't think of it!" He turned to Black Eyes. "Let's take her out first." He suggested. Even though Black Eyes nodded his agreement, Gladius Girl didn't look the slightest bit worried.

"_And now the moment you've all been waiting for!"_ Roulette's promo'd over the loudspeakers. _"Combatants, get ready!"_

Encore crouched down, hummed and conjured a fireball in one hand. All across the arena floor there was the sound of unsheathed weapons and whirring tech and the heated whine of superpowers being charged up. Aquagirl awkwardly raised her fists. The music suddenly stopped and the silence was only broken by the slathering spectators. Aquagirl held her breath.

"_Fight!"_

The music came back with a vengeance and the arena floor became utter chaos as nearly a hundred costumed and superpowered teens attacked each other all at once. There was the steely sound of swords clashing and laser fire and explosions. Black Eyes had the honor of the first elimination. Even as his 'partner' made his move on Gladius Girl, he flashed forward on a cloud of smoke, leaped and cracked the big man across the bridge of the nose with his wooden sword. Blood flew and the big man fell to the ground like a toppled tree. Both Encore and Aquagirl hesitated at the sudden violence.

It was Encore that recovered first and the melee's first explosion came from him. The moment the group melee has begun he had flung his fireball at a random opponent; a tall, bronze-skinned girl in a blue bandanna and red braids. She saw it coming and, in an instant, every inch of her skin changed to shiny steel. She backhanded the fireball away and the projectile arced and inadvertently exploded into the back of another fighter. Stainless' metal hand melted and elongated into a thin, pointed sai and she charged Encore, her steel feet spraying up clops of sand. Encore waited for her and conjured another fireball. He jumped back to dodge her swipe and flung it full in her face. The shock of the resulting explosion knocked him back, but Stainless was unaffected. She stomped through the flames and swiped at him again.

Aquagirl looked around, trying to make some sense of the brawl around her. She watched as Encore dodged and fended off the metal girl and then turned to see a clown girl flipping agilely through the general melee and, upside down, tossing out water balloons somehow filled with sizzling acid. The dazzling harlequin continued her acrobatic performance until Indigo caught one of the balloons, used the alien nanotech that made up her body to transform it into a solid iron ball and threw it into the painted girl's gut, knocking her out of the air and into the dirt. Across the way she spotted Beast Boy in the form of a giant white polar bear as he slashed a deep gash into Adonis' red chest armor. Then he stood up on his hind legs to grapple with the teen in the big mechanical suit. A figure in a white hooded cloak leaped impossibly high over the battle to engage a girl in a purple hood. They exchanged a few blows and the girl in purple kicked away only to be replaced by Red-X. They traded blows as well, but no one could get in a clean shot. They shoved away from each other and he and the white-cloaked figure separated.

Aquagirl might have seen more, but at that moment a fighter leaped on her back. Despite the suddenness of the attack, she surprisingly didn't stumble a bit. She reached over her shoulders, plucked the attacker off with her extraordinary strength and threw him away from her. The impact as he hit the ground created two Billy Numerous' and they rolled to their feet together to face off against Aquagirl.

"You might look like a princess, but you're no southern belle!" One of them shouted.

"Darn tootin'!" The other agreed and fingered the rip she had made when she grasped his costume. "Don't you know you ain't supposed to mess with a man's threads?"

They ran at her together and Aquagirl was shocked at how easy it was to reach out with both hands, stop them cold and throw thing away again. This time, however, there were four Billy Numerous' facing her when they got back up. She saw that the situation could quickly get out of hand and back stepped hesitantly as the four Billys stalked her, unsure of what to do.

Elsewhere in the battle royale, Red-X and his partner Spoiler had separated from the white-hooded figure and were methodically cutting a swath through the competition. Spoiler would attack a fighter, wearing them down and stripping down their defenses with her nimbleness and flexible fighting art. Then, at the most opportune moment, Red-X would drop in for the finishing blow.

Wynter the ice elemental had a very simple plan when he was confronted by the red and white clothed archer supreme known as Arrowette: He ran. He weaved in and out of the general melee while Arrowette trotted after him and shot volley after volley of flat-tipped concussive arrows after him. He ran through the empty space between Mammoth and the scaly-skinned Dracon just before they collided head-on like a pair of transfer trucks. Arrowette leaped, vaulted off their shoulders, flipped and shot more arrows down at the peak of her jump. Now that she was above the fighting, it was her first good look at her target. Wynter skidded to a stop in the grit, pivoted and summoned up a narrow ice wall. The arrows st-st-stuck into the shield and held fast.

"Hehehehe!" Wynter cackled with giddy nervousness. "I stopped'em _cold_!"

Arrowette landed several yards in front of him. She notched another arrow and began to advance on him, but then something made her look over her shoulder. She dropped down a split second later. Wynter looked over her and saw Kitten wielding a laser rifle so large it defied logic that her petite frame could even support it. He also saw that the long barrel was pointed right at him. His pupils dilated into tiny pixels and he shivered. Then he raised a finger and opened his mouth to-

ZAP!

The red laser shot burned through Wynter's ice shield like it was made of mist and passed beneath his recently raised arm. Wynter gulped heavily. He stared at the half-melting hole the laser shot had left behind and decided his first course of action had been for the best. He took two running steps to gain momentum, held out his now smoky white palms and hopped onto a lane of ice. He slid along it faster and faster as it rose and dipped and banked back and forth like a frosty roller coaster track. Arrowette followed after him, sliding along the ice on her knee-high boots. Kitten, not to be outdone, clicked the heels of her tennis shoes together. Wheels popped out from the soles and rocket propulsors fired up beneath her heels. Arrows, laser shots and ice blasts filled the air.

One fighter was causing more havoc than the rest. It was Geo-Force, a narrow figure in bulky black and yellow armor and a visor'd helmet. He was an absolute terror on the battlefield. Those fighters not smart enough to get out of his way were quickly eliminated. He gestured upward with his skinny arms and two rock pillars erupted from the ground. Geo-Force thrust his hands outwards and the pillars arced like twin streamers and slammed two competitors into the arena floor. The attack resulted in a cloud of dust and, when it settled, Gladius Girl was standing between the two downed fighters.

Geo-Force gestured again and another rock pillar lashed out. Gladius Girl contemptuously back handed it away with her wrist buckler. The pillar's trajectory was changed and it crashed harmlessly into the ground several meters behind her. Geo-Force did a double-take, took in the situation and attacked with both hands this time. The rock pillar he summoned was bigger and denser than the previous he had used and was as thick as a tree trunk. Blocking would be out of the question.

Instead, Gladius Girl leaped on top of it and stomped down its length. Geo-Force saw the approaching danger and launched a dozen three foot long rock lances. Gladius Girl didn't slow down and drew the short sword – her gladius – from the scabbard at her hip. She ran and pivoted and spun and ducked and bound along the pillar even as she slashslashslashed the pointed projectiles into rubble. She knocked away the last lance with her wrist buckler, twirled around to gain momentum and flung it like a discus. The spinning buckler glanced off Geo-Force's helmet and sent him stumbling. The leather strap that connected the buckler to Gladius Girl's wrist grew taut and the shield retracted and snapped back into place. She reached the end of the rock pillar. Geo-Force recovered from her attack and produced a stone sledgehammer just in time to block her vicious sword strike.

Elsewhere on the arena floor was Veil and Julia. They were invisible to the naked eye thanks to Veil's metahuman powers and huddled together next to the outer wall to watch the violence around them. Spark the pyrokinetic fired multicolored energy from her hands up at Punk Rocket as he swooped around above her atop his supersonic electric guitar. Spark's frustration grew larger and larger with each subsequent miss. She grit her teeth and brought her fingertips together. Energy bloomed in the empty space between her hands. It swirled and rotated and expanded into a glowing, glimmering ball. She drew it back over her head, her body arced like a drawn bow, and threw it with an angry shout. Punk Rocket gasped at the speed and size of it, but then he regathered his wits. He swung his guitar and batted the pulsating energy ball down.

The ball bounced and rolled to a stop just a few feet from where Veil and Julia were cloaked. The energy ball flashed. It went from red to blue to pink to yellow to green and every neon color in between. The two girls watched it for a moment before they realized the danger. It flashed faster and changed from -

BOOM!

Veil had shoved Julia to one side, but the two of them were still caught in the blast. They reappeared on the visual spectrum. Veil was ragdolled one way while Julia bounced and rolled through the dirt the opposite way. Both Black Eyes and Beast Boy saw the explosion and saw Julia fall. Black Eyes was closer and he sped towards her, trailing murk. Beast Boy saw the dark swordsman heading for her and could only think the worst. He tail-whipped Adonis away as a tyrannosaurus and reverted to his human form with an outstretched hand.

"No!" Wavering green danced across his fleshy white face like honey in a glass. He ran for her, but then Indigo was suddenly in the way. Beast Boy tried to run around her, but she sidestepped to block his way. "Indigo! What are you doing?"

"Your skin," Indigo pointed out. "It's original pigmentation is returning."

"It's original what-" Beast Boy look down at his hands and saw the splotches of green undulating there. Then he shook his head. "I'll deal with it later! Julia's in trouble!" He attempted to run by her again, but Indigo grasped him by the scruff of his neck and threw him back into the dirt.

"Indigo!" Beast Boy raged. "What are you doing!"

"You're risking the integrity of our operation." Indigo explained with infuriating calmness. "You have to be eliminated before anyone catches on."

Beast Boy looked over her shoulder. Black Eyes had almost reached Julia. A deep, horrible growl formed in his throat. "Ooooooooooooooooooout of my way!" A black-furred werewolf with streaky green spots that looked somehow diseased swiped at her with long, dull claws. Indigo nimbly leaped over it, scampered along his broad shoulders and flipped off him to avoid the next swipe. Indigo landed in a crouch, grabbed a double handful of dirt and tossed them into the werewolf's face. The werewolf was blinded. It stumbled back, shaking its canine head and trying to clear his eyes with clawed hands woefully inadequate for the job. Indigo ran forward and launched herself into a flying side kick. The werewolf somehow sensed the attack and grabbed her by the ankle. He held her upside down before spinning and slamming her with unbelievable force into the arena barrier.

With that obstacle out of the way, the werewolf turned his attention back to Julia and Black Eyes. He bound across the arena with frightening speed, backhanding anyone that got in his way. Black Eyes saw him coming. He planted himself firmly between the slavering creature and Julia, holding up his wooden sword at eye level. Two murking, smoky fingertips slid along the sword and the once dull edge suddenly became razor sharp. Black Eyes charged forward and jumped into the werewolf's face. The werewolf bit at him, but Black Eyes turned to murk and reappeared behind him. He vaulted off his shoulders, somersaulted and landed in a slide. The werewolf turned on him and bit again. Black Eyes dodged and then blocked the creature's claws with his sword. He pivoted beneath its guard and slashed shallowly across his chest. The werewolf howled in pain and fury and smashed Black Eyes to the ground with a heavy overhead blow.

Indigo began to stir over by the outer wall. The wounds her robot body had sustained sparked and then closed as the nanotech that comprised her repaired them. She pushed herself up to her feet and as she did so her hand grasped a steel piece that had broken off from the impact in which she had been thrown into the arena barricade. Her pink eyes narrowed in concentration and her alien nanotech went to work again. The steel liquified. It floated formlessly in the air. Then it molded into shape and solidified. There was a bright flash and Indigo was holding a laser pistol.

Closer to the center of the arena floor, the werewolf that was Beast Boy had knocked away Black Eyes and turned to face Julia. He stalked her, his neck twisting animalistically and the green rolling across his dark fur like tall grass in the wind. Julia cowered before him, her blue eyes lost in his white on black orbs. The werewolf reached down with his clawed hand and picked her up, his long furry fingers easily wrapping around her middle. Julia screamed.

ZAP!

The laser shot hit the werewolf high on the shoulder and the rancid smell of burnt hair filled the air. The werewolf howled in pain and jerked its head around to stare balefully at Indigo. It negligently – but with surprising gentleness – lowered Julia to the ground. Then it snarled and made a mad dash at Indigo on all fours. Indigo fire shot after shot at it, but the werewolf was much too fast and agile to be hit. Just before it reached Indigo, Black Eyes exploded upwards into its face from out of nowhere on a cloud of murk. He kickickkicked, alternating between his left and right leg to drive the creature back. In a crowning effort, Black Eyes jabbed both of his feet into the werewolf's face. He vaulted away with the attack, back flipped and slid to a stop beside Indigo. The two of them exchanged a look and then stood together to face Beast Boy's ultimate form.

The werewolf snarled and rushed them. Indigo took several more shots at him with her laser pistol, most of them hitting their mark. The werewolf made a mad dash at her and attempted to snatch her up in its claws, but Indigo danced out of its reach. It tried to follow, but then Black Eyes was there. He smacked the creature directly in the teeth, jerking its head back. Indigo darted back in as it shambled back with a howl of pain. She used her transmutation powers again to change the laser pistol she was holding into a small zenothium bomb and stuck it on the werewolf's furry chest. The beast clawed at her, but she was already at a safe range. The werewolf looked down at the bomb on his chest and, for the briefest of moments, there was a glimmer of human intelligence and emotion in its white on black eyes.

BOOM!

The blast shook the entire arena floor and sent dirt and grit flying in every direction. When the air cleared Beast Boy lay smoking and unconscious in his human form, lying motionless in the scooped out crater.

Aquagirl continued her contest with Billy Numerous and thus far it was a stalemate. Aquagirl fended off his attacks, but it was like trying to turn back the tide. For every Billy she knocked away two more would take his place. Each individual Billy was weak compared to her super-strength, but the sheer number of them threatened to overwhelm her. One Billy Numerous was nothing to worry about. Fifty of them, on the other hand, was an altogether different matter.

Encore wasn't faring much better. Stainless' metal skin seemed impervious to all of his attacks. Fire was ineffectual. Wind slowed her down, but her dense weight kept her feet on the ground. Because he couldn't control it, Encore didn't bother to try out his power to produce water. That only left-

SL-SLASH!

Stainless didn't give him a chance to try his last power. Encore leaned back to avoid Stainless' bladed hands. He took the lasso from his belt, looped the lariat around her wrists and pulled it tight. Then Encore did perhaps the stupidest thing he had ever done: He punched Stainless in her metal face. There was the muted smack of flesh hitting steel and Encore immediately withdrew his hand. His howl of pain was rudely interrupted by a front kick to the chest.

Aquagirl saw Encore go down and Stainless pounce on top of him. Her metal hands changed into round, top-heavy maces and she lifted them over her head to deliver the finishing blow. Aquagirl forced her way out of the ring of Billys with a shout, knocking several of them back.

"H-hey!"

"Watch it, girl!"

"I'm self-replicating here!"

Aquagirl ignored the plaintive southern cries and ran through the arena grit. She connected with a colossal uppercut to Stainless' steel chin even as her hand-mace descended down on Encore. Stainless was sent sailing across the arena as if she had been shot from a cannon. Aquagirl reached down and pulled Encore to his feet.

"Thanks," Encore said to her gratefully.

Aquagirl eyed the fifty or more Billy Numerous' that had formed a ring around them. "Thank me once we get out of this." She said tightly.

Encore stood back to back with Aquagirl and took in the situation. "Any ideas?" He asked.

"Not yet." Aquagirl said tersely. "If only I had some water, maybe I could-"

"Water?" Encore echoed her.

"The name's _Aqua_girl, remember?"

"I can get you water." Encore said confidently. "You just gotta keep'em off me. How much do you need?"

"As much as possible." Aquagirl said. "But how are you gonna-"

But the poncho'd cowboy was already humming and holding up his hands. Two of the Billys, seeing him vulnerable, leaped to attack. Even as Aquagirl knocked them back, she recognized the melody Encore hummed as the same one he had taught her earlier to use in her meditation. Above them a glob of water that could have filled a dozen or more bathtubs materialized Unlike fire, wind and electricity, water was too heavy for the nanotech grafted to Encore's nervous system to control. The nanoscopic technology could gather the oxygen and hydrogen atoms out of the air and combine them, but the element the particles formed became too big for the nanotech to handle. All that water came crashing down until Aquagirl held up her palms and caught it in her aquakinesis. The Billy Numerous' surrounding them suddenly looked less confident as Aquagirl stood there with hundreds of pounds of water under her control. They gulped simultaneously.

Aquagirl smirked.

SP-SP-SP-SPLASH!

The Billys flinched as water streamed out in all directions and then tentatively reopening their eyes when they realized they remained dry. The water jets had gone past them and had formed into a high curved wall behind them.

Aquagirl latched onto Encore's side and held him tightly around his waist. "Fly!" She told him.

Fear immediately washed over Encore and his chest tightened. His phobia of heights locked him in place.

Aquagirl glanced at the Billy's around them. The situation was sinking in for them as they experimentally pushed at the super dense water barrier that trapped them. It would only be a matter of time before they accepted their fate and performed the only option left to them: Attack.

"You can be afraid later." Aquagirl said and rattled her new cowboy friend perhaps a bit more than she intended to thanks to her superhuman strength. "Do it!"

But Encore was still hedging from the idea despite the fact the battalion of Billy Numerous' had begun to advance on them. "How did you know that I-"

"I'll explain later!" Aquagirl cut him off. "I'm not going to let you fall! I promise!"

Encore looked searchingly into her dark yes. He found sincerity there and decided to trust her. He took in a shaky breath and sang in a tight voice.

"_Like a feather flying high up in the sky on a windy day I get carried away!"_

The Billy lunged at them, but it was already too late. Whipping wind had lifted Encore and Aqualgirl up into the air and supported them twenty yards above the arena floor. Aquagirl could feel him trembling in his arms and saw his eyes were nearly squeezed shut beneath his shades when she looked up into his face. Aquagirl was stabbed with a sharp burst of compassion, but then she shook it off. There were more important thing to deal with at the moment. She looked down and narrowed her eyes in concentration. The water barrier rushed inward like a crashing wave to sweep up the trapped Billys. The water congealed into a sloshing pool in which the red spandexed villain and his doppelgangers couldn't escape.

As soon as Encore saw them taken care of, he quickly had the wind take he and Aquagirl back down. Encore touched down, wobbled and fell to his hands and knees. He gasped in air and Aquagirl realized he had been holding his breath.

"Sorry," she said. ""I didn't realize you were that sca-"

"I'll live." Encore waved off her concern brusquely. He looked up at the Billys gurgling in the floating pool. "Are you connected to that?"

"No," Aquagirl shook her head. "Why do you-"

Encore stood up and hummed. Electricity arced from his hand to the water, instantly zapping the Billys stuck within into unconsciousness. Aquagirl called the water back to her and the Billys dropped limply to the gritty ground.

Aquagirl turned back to the general melee. She walked through the fighting, the water under her control now orbiting her in compact globes. A clawed and masked Chesire leaped at her, but she was met with one of the orbs and exploded into her chest with a fleshly splat. Aquagirl continued on, flinging the water orbs into anyone that approached her. Without realizing it, she came closer to closer where Julia still cowered near the outer wall. Black Eyes had resolutely stood over her attacking anyone who drew too close. Now it was Aquagirl's turn.

Black Eyes gripped his sword and rushed at her unsuspecting back on a fountain of black murk, but Encore had seen him coming. The poncho'd cowboy plowed bodily into his side and the two of them rolled and grappled across the dirt. Black Eyes ended up on top, but Encore managed to get his feet under him and kick him off. Black Eyes back flipped and landed in a slide, holding up his sword while Encore drew his knees up past his ears and nipped up in one fluid motion. The stood ten yards apart, each of the shaded fighters waiting for the other to make the first move. Black Eyes gripped his sword while Encore conjured up a whip of crackling blue electricity. Their bodies tensed as they prepared to attack. Encore squinted. Black Eyes smirked.

And then a third fighter known as Dragonfly was suddenly there, sporting a light-weight mech suit and supersonic wings. Dragonfly swooped down and drop kicked Black Eye's unprepared side. The winged fight vaulted over, flipped, dodged Encore's startled attempt to attack with his whip and clubbed him in the side. Black Eyes recovered first and streaked darkly at Dragonfly, hacking and slashing with his sword. Dragonfly dodged and blocked with his armored gauntlets and maneuvered expertly with his blurring wings. The fighter had forgotten about Encore, though. Encore's electric whip wrapped around Dragonfly's ankle. Dragonfly was yanked out of the air and slammed down hard to the arena floor. The fighter groggily stood up and tried to shake out the cobwebs when Black Eyes murked by him and slashed the energy pack that powered the supersonic wings. The pack sparked and whined and sparked and the slash – like an open wound – gushed out unstable gold energy. Dragonfly ripped off the pack and flung it at Encore and Black Eyes. They glanced at each other, then at the glowing, pulsating energy pack and then ran in different directions. Black Eyes picked up Julia and blurred smokily away.

BOOM!

The pack exploded and Encore was sent rolling from the concussion. He rolled head over heels along the ground before coming to a stop on his rear. He blinked dizzily and tried to reorient himself.

"Too easy." The early gloating and the slight glimmer of his cloaking device gave him away. Encore raised his arm without thought to block the sharp, short kick aimed at his temple that would have surely been a knockout blow. The air flickered as the cloaking device gave way and Red-X appeared, his foot still outstretched. Encore raised his free hand palm out and hummed a quick tune before Red-X could react. A funnel of gale-force wind rushed out and lifted Red-X up into the air. His short cape flapped wildly and he spun haplessly inside the mini tornado. His signature x-blades popped out of the compartments on his wrists and twirled. Red-X held them at his sides, using the makeshift propellers to balance himself in the whipping wind. Then he put them at his hips to propel himself down towards Encore. Encore – who had already regained his feet – pointed with his other hand. A streak of blue electricity arced out, struck Red-X's right wrist and then jumped to his left. The motors inside sparked and shorted out and he was stuck helpless in the funnel once again.

WHAM!

Spoiler came out of nowhere, hand vaulted just in from of Encore and drove both flat-booted feet into his chest. Encore stumbled, fell and rolled to his feet, but his concentration was already broken. The funnel of wind he had conjured disappeared and Red-X landed nimbly beside his partner in crime with his cape draped dramatically over one shoulder.

"This one is actually pretty good." He admitted, though Encore could hear the smirk in his electronic voice. "This is going to be fun, baby."

"I look forward to it." Spoiler replied with an oddly demure confidence. Her voice sounded younger and more innocent than Encore would have expected.

Encore took a step back to brace himself and clenched his fists at his sides. "Two against one ain't really fair, is it?" He asked them.

"No one ever got anywhere in life by playing it fair." Red-X told him. Then he paused and looked over at his accomplice. "It might be fun to watch for a while, though. Take him, Spoiler."

Spoiler rushed him with a blurring flurry of kicks and punches. The strikes were quick and left Encore no other choice than to dodge and block and back step away from the onslaught. Even as he defended himself from Spoiler, Encore saw black flashes in his peripheral vision. He knew it was Red-X flitting around the edge of the battle and waiting for the perfect opportunity to land a finishing blow. Encore's head snapped back as Spoiler hit him high on the forehead with an upward palm strike. Encore blocked the next one only to be kicked in the chin with her purple boots. Spoiler's attacks didn't have much impact but they were swift and precise. She landed several more blows and each one felt like a lash from a whip. Each time Encore attempted to counterattack Spoiler would nimbly dodge and use the opening to land two or even three more attacks before he could recover.

And then Spoiler overextended herself. She threw a punch just a bit harder and her fist went no more than an inch further than it should have, but it was enough for Encore. Slade may have betrayed him, but he had trained him well beforehand. Encore ducked the strike and his hands flashed up to grasp her petite wrist. He pulled her in and wrapped his other hand around her throat. Spoiler choked and jabbed the back of her tricep into the joint of Encore's elbow. His grip was nearly broken, but he was too strong. He spun her around – forcing her back into his chest – and changed the hold into a rear throat lock. Spoiler struggled, stomped the flat heel of her boot onto Encore's toes and flipped him over using her hip as a fulcrum. Encore hit the dirt and immediately reached out and grabbed Spoiler's ankle. When bent over to dislodge his grip she was met with a pair of cowboy boots. Spoiler staggered back and gave time for Encore to get his feet back under him. He charged at her and swung a fire-covered fist with all of his might. Just before the point of contact, however, Spoiler disappeared with a wavy effect not unlike rising hot air.

Spoiler reappeared beside Red-X. "He's good." She said, sounding slightly winded.

"I see that." Red-X agreed. He looked at Encore. "It's time to teach you a lesson, kid: Nothing's fair!"

Then, without any warning whatsoever, Red-X and Spoiler rushed at him at the exact same time. Encore managed to block Red-X's leaping punch only for Spoiler's knee to bury itself in his middle. He shoved Spoiler away, but that gave Red-X ample time to kick him painfully in the thigh. Encore half-limped and half-hopped away, trying to get the tiniest bit of breathing room but Red-X and Spoiler followed him relentlessly. Encore flung an electric bolt at Red-X and a column of fire at Spoiler. Red-X disappeared with a static flicker and the bolt harmlessly hit and threw up dirt where he had been a split second before. Spoiler wrapped her purple cloak around herself with a flourish to protect herself from the heat and then vanished using the same technology. Encore was suddenly alone with streaky, heated clouds of dust wafting up around him.

Encore exhaled.

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

Red-X and Spoiler reappeared at once and, in a perfect mirroring of each other, struck him violently with a flying kick. Encore went down hard and tasted blood in his mouth. He blinked back dark spots before his eyes and incoherently realized that Spoiler was left-handed. He looked up bleary-eyed at Red-X and Spoiler. He was suddenly dreadfully homesick and wondered just how he had found himself hundreds of miles from home and fighting in a tournament he didn't understand.

"No hard feelings." Red-X said. "It's just business. We're out to get ours just like you were trying to get yours. Tough break, man. Better luck next time." He drew back his foot to kick him into oblivion.

Encore tensed himself for the final blow. The buzzing in his ears was suddenly deafening. Instead of the cool darkness he was expecting, Encore's vision was suddenly filled with white. A fighter in an ivory hooded cloak – the same fighter Encore had spoken to briefly before the tournament had begun – interjected herself between Encore and the duo of Red-X and Spoiler. She spun with a graceful roundhouse kick, causing Red-X and Spoiler to leap back to avoid it. Still facing the two of them, she reached back without looking to offer her gloved hand to Encore. Encore blinked up in bewilderment. He licked his lips and grasped the outstretched hand and he was pulled firmly up to his feet.

"Now it's fair." A voice said softly from beneath the white hood.

Both Red-X and Spoiler went after her. The girl in the white hood planted her feet, braced herself and Spoiler's attack bounced off her blocking crossed forearms. Encore protected her left side. He snatched Red-X out of the air during his flying kick. He locked his ankle beneath his armpit and locked his fingers beneath his knee. He spun twice to gain momentum and them slung him away with all his might. Red-X regained his center of gravity in midair, righted himself and landed in a crouching slide. Encore and White Hood stood back to back as Red-X and Spoiler charged them from opposite sides. They jumped over simultaneous leg sweeps and were spun into each other by synchronized heel kicks. There was the whapwhapwhap of flesh smacking flesh as Encore reached around White Hood to block Spoiler's attacks to her back as White Hood did the same to stave off Red-X. Both of them connected with open palms to the chest, forcing them back.

"They work together!" Red-X growled electronically.

Encore realized he was right. What just happened had been impossible. There was no way he could fight alongside a stranger with such seamless chemistry. In fact, there was only one person in the world he could fight together with so well. Encore realized how close he was to her. He looked under her hood, but a filmy veil hid her face.

"Kelly?" He whispered. She had no time to answer, however, because Red-X and Spoiler advanced on them again.

What happened next was a whirling dance of concentrated grace and violence. Red-X and Spoiler fought as if they were two puppets controlled by a single puppeteer. Encore and White Hood were no less connected. They fought side by side as extensions of the same person.

Red-X performed a spinning leg sweep and both White Hood and Encore were forced to jump over it. Spoiler went high, her legs split to kick both of them. Encore caught her left foot and White Hood caught her right. They shoved together and Spoiler backflipped and landed behind Red-X who was already gliding in again. He flickered just as he reached them and reappeared behind them. White Hood turned and blocked his kick while Encore protected her back from Spoiler. Red-X and Spoiler attacked relentlessly, forcing them to fight back to back and giving them no room to move. And then Encore reached back and locked elbows with White Hood. White Hood used him as a base to double-kick Red-X away. Then Encore bent forward sharply, becoming a fulcrum for White Hood to roll backwards over him and slam her feet into Spoiler, too. Encore stomped forward and jumped to smash down at Red-X, but he was too slow. Red-X bounded beneath him and nimbly vaulted over White Hood to land beside Spoiler.

"This is serious." He said, holding his chest where White Hood had kicked him. "Maybe you should-"

"Already ahead of you." Spoiler told him. She reached beneath her dark purple cloak and brought out a gleaming, perfectly round chakram. She looked at Encore and White Hood and negligently sliced the air with the weapon as if somehow getting a feel for its weight. "I was hoping to keep this baby as a secret wild card for the one-on-one part of the tournament. But oh well!" She slung the steel weapon at them like a frisbee.

Encore and White Hood ducked and the weapon sliced through the air above them. Across the arena near the barricaded outer wall, Black Eyes stood between a helpless Julia and a hulking Adonis. The swordsman held his ground and raised his weapon. Adonis smirked, laced his metal gauntlet fingers above his head and prepared to smash down at them both.

CLANK!

Spoiler's chakram flew into his helmet and sent him sprawling. Then the weapon did a u-turn and Spoiler snatched it out of the air. She grasped it with both hands and there was an audible click. The chakram came apart to become two half-circle blades. Encore wasn't prepared to dodge her slash at him, but White Hood was. She grabbed him by the nape of his poncho and jerked him back out of range. He recovered to block her next wide-arcing slash by kicking away her wrist with his boot, but he had nowhere to go when she jabbed straight on with the crescent hand-blade. He clenched his eyes shut and prepared to be skewered.

SKRKKCKKT!

White Hood punched over Encore's shoulder. A reinforced knuckle – Encore had no idea when she had slipped it on – covered her gloved hand and metal met metal in a shower of sparks. Spoiler jabbed with the other crescent hand-blade. White Hood punched over Encore's other shoulder and again sparks flew. Encore found himself in a strange hug between the two. He realized just how vulnerable Spoiler was with her arms occupied and smirked. Spoiler saw the same thing and tried to kick at him, but Encore blocked with a raised knee and uppercutted her with one combined fist. Spoiler ragdolled back in a twirl. Even as she fell back, Red-X dashed beneath her. She dropped the hand-blades and Red-X caught them without slowing down. White Hood's arms were still outstretched above Encore's shoulder's. The cowboy reached up and wormed his hands into her metal knuckles in one swift motion and he and Red-X came together.

SK-SK-SK-SK-SKRCKT!

Encore and Red-X exchanged a flurry of blows and counter blows, sparks marking the places where blade met knuckle. Spoiler ran back in, her purple cloak flowing behind her. She hand-vaulted with a single hand off Red-X's shoulder and reached down with the other to take one of her hand-blades from him. She sailed over Encore's head to slice down at a weaponless White Hood. Encore raised his hand and blasted her with wind at the height of her jump, sending her sky high. Behind him, White Hood jumped impossibly high to leap up and engage her. Encore blindly threw his left knuckle over his head to her as she went up. White Hood and Spoiler came together in the air and exchanged strikes and counterstrikes. They reached the peak of their lift and, like top-heavy missiles, came back down towards the ground headfirst, still fighting.

Red-X kicked, spun and kicked again. Encore ducked the first and caught the second in the chin. He stumbled to the side while Red-X flickered into invisibility and reappeared in a punch to send him the other way. Encore blocked a flipping double kick with a crossing guard and pushed Red-X away from him. He held up one palm to fire off another wind blast to prevent White Hood and Spoiler from crashing into the ground and putting them airborne again.

The two female warriors looked like they were fighting mirror images of each other. Both were cloaked and hooded and white cloth danced and caressed purple as they fought, almost as elegantly and graceful as their fighting techniques. White Hood had the advantage of strength while Spoiler bested her in speed. At least as far as their weightless competition went, the two of them were evenly matched. They came down again, rushing headfirst at the arena floor. Encore held a palm to wind blast them up yet again, but Red-X tackled him in a flash of black. The two of them tumbled away, but a blinking red and black bomb was dropped in their wake. Spoiler and White Hood fell over it just as it beeped...beeped...beepbeepbeeped and-

BOOOM!

The zenothium bomb exploded and the concussion of the blast stopped their downward descent and tossed them in different directions. Red-X kick-vaulted off of Encore's chest just in time to land in sync beside Spoiler. White Hood landed behind Encore and caught him in her strong arms. Encore looked at her gratefully, found his balance and stood beside her to face off with their opponents.

"Finish it!" Red-X said sharply and handed his hand-blade to Spoiler. Spoiler took it and reattached it with hers to make the chakram complete again. She held it in one hand and grabbed Red-X's with the other. She jumped and Red-X whipped her around in a blurring circle. Spoiler used the extra momentum to fling the chakram even faster. Her aim, however, hadn't been true. Instead of whizzing at White Hood or Encore, it aimed for the empty space directly between them. But then, no more then ten yards before it reached them, the chakram clicked apart into the two crescent hand-blades and arced at both of them. They ducked with no time to spare and the two blades curved, caught air and turned back to blaze serratedly at them again. Encore moved to run, but White Hood stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Wait!" She told him.

The blades turned back and descended at them in perfect symmetry. Encore fidgeted, but White Hood showed no anxiousness. The blades came closer and closer. Encore found he was holding his breath.

"Now!" White Hood dove into Encore, sending them to the ground at the last possible second. The blades clanked together above them, revolved around each other and then stabbed into the arena floor on either side of them, reverberating and glinting back the roof lights.

And then a horn blared out through the indoor arena, stopped and blared again. Roulette's voice funneled through the numerous speakers of the buildings. _"Cease fighting! The round has ended!"_ She paused to let the horn blare again. Across the arena fighting slowed and then – punctuated by one or two more explosions – finally stopped. _"Congratulations! All who are still able to fight have advanced to the second round!"_

Encore breathed a sigh of relief. He lay on his back in the arena grit with White Hood straddling him. There was something comforting and familiar about the warm body next to his. Encore's hat had shifted back during the fall and his shades were high on his head, revealing his face and eyes. He looked up into the veil that covered White Hood's face. He leaned his face up to hers, trying to look through it. Even so, he felt like he didn't have to.

"It's you, isn't it?" He whispered to her. He reached up and pulled back the veil-

-And looked up into an alabaster face with soft silver eyes.

"Amber!" Encore gasped. White Hood shoved him back down hard enough to make him see stars. When he regained his bearings, White Hood was already gone.

Encore's hands shook uncontrollably and tears sprang unbidden to his eyes.

"...Amber..."


	38. Present: Waiting For Dawn

"_I was hoping your answer would be a little **easier****.**" - Melody_

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

_**Early Morning**_

_**Waiting For Dawn**_

Predawn darkness still covered the mountain the Johnson and Hikaru family made their home when Yumi made her move. She quietly slipped out of the bed she shared with Melody and carefully ducked into her purple fighting robe. If she had any choice in the matter, Yumi almost always wore purple. Melody, she knew on the other hand, always liked to clothe herself in light blue. The thought made Yumi turn back to look at her friend. Melody's golden hair was fanned out around her head on the pillow beneath her like some kind of living halo. Her face was soft and peaceful and her lips were parted slightly; the same lips Yumi had kissed so unexpectedly the previous night. Yumi took a moment to drink in her features before going to the window.

The window of Melody's room was on the second floor of the cabin and quite some distance from the ground. But that was no obstacle for Yumi. Her daily training with her mother had put her in peak physical condition; climbing down the side of the cabin wouldn't be a problem. The actual problem turned out to be the squeaky window. Yumi only got one foot over the windowsill when Melody sat up in bed behind her.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked archly.

Yumi gave a guilty little jump. Her dark eyes met Melody's blue orbs only briefly before she disappeared with a muted pop and a white flash. Melody scrambled over to the window and looked down to find Yumi had teleported to the yard below. She ran through the dew-laden grass toward the woodshed where her dirt bike leaned propped up against the inside wall.

"Oh, no you don't...!" Melody muttered determinedly to herself. She half-stumbled and half-hopped into a pair of faded jeans with worn knees even as Yumi backed her dirt bike out of the shed. Melody didn't bother with a top; the gown she'd slept in would be serviceable enough. She snatched up the white electric guitar from its stand in the corner and climbed out of the window to stand on the sloping section of roof. She gripped the neck of the guitar and hummed a quick tune. The instrument hummed to life and a blue nimbus enveloped it. Over by the shed, Yumi's dirt bike roared as the motor started. Melody hopped on the back of the guitar and rode it like a hoverboard as Yumi's back tire threw up clots of grass and dirt and catapulted her forward.

Mornings were always chilly on the mountain and the biting wind that whipped Melody's hair around her shoulders was downright cold. Her flapping, flimsy nightgown did little to protect her from it and she shivered as goosepimples jumped out on her skin. She grit her teeth determinedly and leaned forward into the cold wind. The blue glow around her guitar brightened and she zoomed ahead faster.

Over the years of traveling back and forth between their houses, Yumi and Melody had cut out a dusty brown scar on the mountain that looped and turned through the rolling, rough terrain. Yumi had long since committed every contour and curve of the trail to memory and she used that knowledge to make the best possible time. Every thirty seconds or so, she and the dirt bike would disappear with a flash and a pop and reappear twenty yards further down the trail. Even so, she couldn't lose her friend. Melody atop her glowing flying guitar was hot on her tail. While she couldn't teleport, she had the advantage of not being bound to the rising and falling of the land.

The dawn was still some time off and the mountain was covered with that peculiar, sourceless silver light that always marks the inevitable death of the night. Melody's lacy nightgown top was whipped by the wind and the twin tails of Yumi's purple and yellow fighting robe flapped above the back tire of her bike. They raced through the tall grass of an undulating field and left wakes behind them like fast ships in the water.

Melody crouched, leaned forward and gripped the front heck of her guitar. The head of the guitar dipped and she swooped down lower. She hummed, the guitar glowed a brighter blue and she pulled in beside Yumi. "Yumi!" She called over the wind that ripped at them. "Stop!"

Yumi refused to look at her and – more from shame than any conscious attempt to cut down wind resistance – her head and shoulders dropped. "Leave me alone!" She shouted into the body of her bike. Then she disappeared with the white flash and sharp pop that was characteristic of her teleportation and came into existence again further up the trail.

Up ahead and coming up fast was the forest that separated the Johnson household from the Hikaru home. There was hardly a day – especially when they were younger – that Yumi and Melody didn't spend several hours there. They had explored every inch of it a dozen times over and they knew the spiderweb of trails as intimately as their own homes. It was even darker under the trees and the glow of Melody's guitar reflected off the leaves and branches and foliage and undergrowth and gave the chase a surreal, mystical feel. It was as if they had suddenly left the mountain and entered into the world of fantasy and enchantment with no warning.

Yumi turned sharply, threw up rich black loam and half-decayed leaves and throttled down a trail so narrow the limbs and bushes on either side snapped and brushed against her sides. Melody's face hardened with determination and she rushed in after her. And then Yumi's plan came to Melody a split second before she put it into motion, but it was already too late for Melody to do anything about it. Yumi was riding down the choked path one moment and the next she had vanished with a strobe and a physics-bending crack. Melody heard the last cough of the dirt bike's shut off engine and a light rustling a stone's throw to the left of the path. Melody's white electric guitar stopped on a dime and lost it's glow. She hopped off of it to the ground, ducked into the instrument's strap to put it on her back and waded into the forest's thick undergrowth. She charged through, ignoring the scrapes and scratches and pokes from the limbs and branches.

Moving as fast and haphazardly as she was, Melody nearly tripped over the dirt bike before she saw it. The smell of exhaust was strong and the back wheel still spun. Yumi, however, was nowhere to be seen. Melody quickly looked around, but she was met only by green and brown darkness. There was no sign of Yumi. She could have run off in any direction. Melody turned in a slow circle, looking for some kind of clue as to which way her friend went, but there was none.

Melody sighed and did the only thing she could do. "Yumi!" She shouted. She waited a moment, cupped her hands over her mouth and tried again as loud as she could. "_Yumi!_" She got no answer other than the disembodied echo of her own voice.

Melody growled and drew back her foot to kick the bike, but stopped herself at the last second when she remembered her feet were bare. Being robbed of the opportunity to express her frustration made her feel even worse. She paced around the tiny clearing made by the bike fast and aimlessly. Twigs stuck painfully into the soft flesh of her soles, but somehow the discomfort fit her mood.

The makeshift clearing was too small to contain Melody's restlessness. Her muscles and mind and heart were cold and she wanted nothing more than to warm them up. She picked her way through the brush and back to the trail. She tightened the guitar strap that ran from her shoulder to her hip and secured the guitar more securely. Then she ran, her naked feet sinking and bounding off the soft, moist dirt of the trail. Her white nightgown billowed out behind her and passed through the trees like a lost ghost. She ran like her father, her arms pumping hard as her sides and her knees rising high. But unlike Jonny's lumbering gait, Melody's strides were light – nearly weightless – and her feet scarcely touched the ground. She moved nowhere near as fast as she had on her guitar, but it wasn't about that. There was something ingratiating about moving under your own power; using the muscles her father had given her and Zillah had perfected with her training.

Melody ran on with no destination in mind. It was like she was trying to outrun the problem with Yumi and the thoughts that came along with it. She knew it was silly but, in that moment, she was working on feeling alone. She hadn't allowed logic to kick in yet. And then, without even consciously thinking about, she allowed herself to slow to a stop. The trail had widened and the undergrowth had thinned to nearly nothing. It was like being in a house with branches of trees protectively forming a roof over her and fallen leaves and pine needles making a natural carpet beneath her feet. There, hanging from the tallest branch of the tallest tree, was an old tire swing. Melody walked up to it slowly and looked it over. The details the darkness hid were filled in by her memory. She ran her hand over the faded tire that somehow managed to be both smooth and rough at the same time. There were three evenly spaced bolts on the surface of the rubber and – from a knot ten feet up on the aged rope – three strands fanned out to hold the tire horizontal. Melody grasped the rope itself and saw that it had half-molded and half-decayed from the weather and the outdoor air. She knew it wouldn't last much longer.

Melody removed the guitar from her back, leaned it against the trunk of a nearby tree and tentatively lowered herself down into the tire seat in a half-recline. The weathered rope groaned and crackled under her weight like the bones of an old man rising from a deep chair, but it held firm. The first thing Melody noticed was just how much she had grown. The tire hole wasn't as wide as she remembered and she didn't sink down nearly as far as she suspected. Her legs didn't dangle high over the sides. Now they were so long that her toes and the balls of her feet dragged the ground. It was a strange feeling, like waking up one morning to put on your favorite shirt only to find you had grossly outgrown it. Melody suddenly felt older than her seventeen years.

How long had it been since she and Yumi had played here? There had been a time when this was their favorite place and they had to be dragged away from it each day. How many hours and days and years had they spent swinging here and sitting there beneath the the shade of the trees, talking and laughing about whatever came to mind? Her friendship with Yumi had been forged and strengthened and reinforced here, but now the relationship felt as precarious as the worn and frazzled rope of the tire swing.

Melody sighed and kicked off, sending the tire in a lazy, arcing circle. Yumi was always the careful one when she swung. She would hold on tight to the ropes and keep herself fully in the tire and never once attempted to reach the impressive height the swing was capable of. Melody, of course, had been the complete opposite. The swing couldn't go high or fast enough for her tastes and she hated being stuck in the confines of the tower. She wanted to fly. She would sit on the very edge of the tire and smile as the wind washed over her face and through her hair. Sometimes, when she felt especially adventurous, she would lock her feet in the center of the tire and hang backwards over the side to watch the ground rushing up at her and then falling away. Yumi always begged her to be more careful and Melody always ignored her.

Yumi, it turned out, had been right. The inevitable happened when Melody was twelve years old. Her foot slipped at the peak of a daredevil swing and her desperate swipe to grab the rope came up short. She fell over the side of the tower, flipped several times and landed with a terrible impact on the forest floor. When Yumi rolled her over, the joint of her left elbow was bent the wrong way. To this day, it was the most pain Melody had ever experienced. She had been in a tear-blurred world of pain and panic, but Yumi had been there to rescue her. Her friend supported her and half-carried her back to her home, all the while comforting her in a steady stream of calm platitudes that Melody never heard. All she had been aware of was the sound of her voice; it was what she focused on to keep herself from falling apart.

It was technically Aunt Crystal that healed her arm – she arrived using that strange, wavy white portal she always used for her visits, set Melody's arm and fashioned a cast and splint for her – but it was Yumi that took care of her. She was there every day, asking how she was and doing anything and everything she could to help. The pain was largely gone within a week's time and the injury became more of an annoyance than a hindrance, but Yumi was relentless in her kindness until she knew for sure that Melody would recover. And though she certainly had the right to do so, she never once said 'I told you so'.

Melody spun herself slowly in the swing. Yumi had always been the soul of prudence and sensibility. She wasn't one to take risks or try anything the least bit dangerous without first preparing herself to perfection. Knowing that, Melody wondered just how hard it had been for her friend to reveal her feeling to her. Even more than that, how hard had it been to keep them hidden for so long? Melody realized it had taken every bit of courage Yumi had to confess herself and the loss of that courage caused her to break. Yumi had run because she had nothing left; she had bared her soul and left nothing in reserve to hold herself up.

Melody stood up as a new, compassionate resolve came over her. It was her turn to return the favor and take care of Yumi. But yet, she wasn't sure how to do that. Her own feelings were still a confused jumble of weltered thoughts and emotions. How could she soothe Yumi if she couldn't answer the unspoken question she had poised to her in the form of a kiss.

Melody needed advice. Her father came quickly to mind, but she just as quickly dismissed him. She loved him and knew that she could bring anything to him, but she knew he would be out of his depth here. She had never brought any romantic problems to him before and she knew he regarded Yumi as a second daughter. Melody was afraid that – at least, for now – he wouldn't be able to handle the situation. She considered Zillah then, but discounted her almost at once. While she was always cordial and friendly to Melody, Zillah was a private, quiet person who kept to herself and rarely got personal with anyone. Even her shows of affection with Yumi were few and far between. She wouldn't be the kind to discuss matters of the heart with. Melody would have to wait until Aunt Crystal could travel to talk with her about it and the idea of mentioning the problem to her Uncle Tim would have made her laugh out loud under different circumstances. That left the one person that had been the perfect choice all along.

Melody climbed out of the tire swing and picked up her guitar. She sang a soft tune under her breath in a clear voice and the white guitar glowed blue and floated above the ground. She hopped on it and, a moment later, she exploded out of the top of the forest spinning through a flurry of leaves.

Lowhawk Ridge was a towering, jutting vertebrae in the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. It was one of the few places in the country still untouched by the technology of the modern world and it had been over two hundred years since any human had lived there. It's peak was covered in snow year-round and a timeless glacier crowned it. The bottom of it was endlessly melting while it's top was continuously accumulating more cold. The result was a series of uneven waterfalls traveling down the mountain that was too large to be a stream and yet not quite large enough to be called a river. It was this brook that Melody flew up. She came in for a landing on the third level of the waterfall on a cliff just beside it. The roar of the falling water filled her ears and her head and wet mist clung to her and made her shiver. She maneuvered past the waterfall and into a hidden hollow behind it. The rock there was smooth, having been carved out by the wayward sprays of water over centuries and even millennia. And on the wet glistening back wall of the shallow cave was the marking of a large black bird. The average person would have thought it was an ancient hieroglyphic left by some Native American tribe, but Melody knew better. It had been put here for a very specific purpose. Melody took in a deep breath, rubbed her hands together and then brushed her fingertips against the black wall painting.

FLASH!

The painting and the cave and the waterfall and the mountain itself faded away. Melody suddenly found herself standing on the scaffold of a castle unlike any on earth. It was a strange mix of what could be called eastern spires and curved, thatched western roofs and an alien style all of its own. The castle was a series of merging towers with airy connection bridges. It was made of a smooth, unbroken stone that was not quite red but more of a harsh, utilitarian pink. Purple flags waved from the battlements against an unnatural yellow sky. The windows of the castle were long and oval, made of a segmented crystal that fractured the light into weightless rainbows. Far below the castle and surrounding it on all sides was the ruins and rubble of a once great city. There were mountains of gray and red rock half hidden in the mist that hung over the ground and unstable walls and buildings that threatened to finally topple over at any minute. It was a stark contrast to the majesty of the castle.

No matter how many times she came her, Melody was always struck by the beauty of the place. Even so, there were more important things on her mind now. She walked down the battlement and ducked into a smooth, doorless opening shaped like an edgeless diamond. She walked down a long, carpeted hallway that, despite having no visible light source, was brightly lit and turned into the entranceway she knew was the castle owner's favorite room. The study was an oblong crescent with no corners to be found. There was a small bookshelf along the wall with only a single book in it. Melody knew, however, that the owner of the castle left her vast library in some unimaginable place where she could call any tome within it to her at anytime using nothing more than her will. At the far end of the room was a roaring fireplace cheerfully softening the warm dimness of the room and a deep, padded chair was next to it.

"Raven?" Melody called, her voice somehow pulled away by the shape of the room. "Aunt Raven? Where are you?"

An ashen-skinned woman in her mid-thirties appeared in the comfortable chair before the fire. A chakra stone glinted on her forehead and her dark amethyst hair was pulled back to create a high, regal widow's peak. She wore a long white dress that left her arms and legs bare and she sat with all the posture and dignity of a queen. She put her hands in her lap and smiled at Melody.

"Come by the fire." Raven invited her. "Warm yourself."

"Thanks." Melody did as she said, standing by her chair and holding her hands out to the fire. Even though she knew it wasn't technically real, it still felt good on her cold skin.

"It's been some time since you've visited me here in Lus Soveran." Raven said. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten how to get here."

"Sorry," Melody scuffed her foot against the carpet. "Dad's been keeping me busy telling us about his Encore days."

"So he's telling you." Raven said. "Good."

"He didn't have much choice." Melody shrugged. "After I told him you let it slip he-" She stopped when she saw her aunt's thin smile. She realized that- "You didn't let anything slip. You told me about dad on purpose, didn't you?"

"It was time you knew." Raven nodded. "And your dad's legendary stubbornness would have kicked in if I had suggested he tell you personally. This was the best way."

Melody thought about it. "But if you really wanted me to know, why didn't you tell me yourself? You've told me all kinds of other hero stories. Why not this one?"

"Because this is your father's story; not mine. He's the only one that can tell it the way it should be told." Raven pursed her lips and gave Melody a probing look. "But this isn't why you came here, is it? What can I help you with?"

Alone in the forest, it had seemed the perfect idea to take her dilemma with Yumi to Raven. But now, standing here face to face with her aunt, embarrassment suddenly took over her. Melody lowered her quickly reddening face and said nothing.

"Ah," Raven said knowing. "It's one of _those_ problems."

Melody lifted her head then as if daring her blush to go any further. She wracked her brain, trying to find the best way to broach the subject. "Have you ever been in love with anyone, Aunt Raven?" She asked.

Raven's face was indecipherable as she silently returned Melody's gaze. Melody began to think that the question had been over the line when her aunt finally answered. "I've had lovers over the years, yes, though the relationships ultimately failed for any number of reasons. Why are you asking me this?"

Melody didn't answer. Instead, she haltingly asked another question. "Were any of those lovers...women?"

Raven stood up and affectionately put her hands on Melody's shoulders. She led her to the chair she had been sitting in and gently lowered her into it. Then she knelt down in front of her. "I was about your age when my father was defeated. I've told you that story, yes?"

"Y-yes."

"Up until that point," Raven went on. "I had to keep my emotions strictly under control to keep him from escaping. But once he was destroyed, I was free to feel anything I wanted. Only, I had suppressed them so long that I was never sure exactly what I was supposed to feel. They were like atrophied muscles; it took a lot of work and experimentation to fully realize them. Over the course of my life I have loved many different people in many different ways. Part of life is finding what is good and cherishing it."

She stopped and looked into the fire, her eyes a million miles away as the firelight danced across her face. Then she turned and looked up into Melody's face again. "Yumi confessed to you, didn't she?"

Melody couldn't help but let out a little gasp at that. "How did you-" She shook her head. "You knew Yumi felt this way about me? And you didn't tell me?"

"I never knew for certain." Raven shook her head. "I'm an empath, Melody, not a mind reader. I had long suspected Yumi harbored feelings for you, but there was no way I could be sure. Even if there was, it would be amoral of me to tell you without her permission, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, but..." Melody's voice trailed off as the argument sank in. "What do I do, Aunt Raven?"

"I think that depends. How do you feel about Yumi?"

"I love Yumi." Melody answered without thinking. Then her cheeks flushed when she realized the implications of that. "I-I mean, she's my best friend." She amended herself quickly. "I've never thought about...I mean, I've never considered-" She huffed in frustration. "I can deal with all that later. Right now I need to find Yumi. She ran off. She's too ashamed to even be around me."

"And what would you tell her if you found her? What could you say that would take away that shame?"

"I...don't know." Melody's shoulders dropped. "I don't even know where she is."

"My magic words won't work here." Raven squeezed Melody's knee. "I don't have a special line you can tell Yumi that will make everything better. But what I do know is this: You and Yumi have a bond as strong as any I've felt. You're a part of each other. No one knows her better than you. Put yourself in her shoes and I believe everything will come to you."

Melody sighed. "I was hoping your answer would be a little _easier_."

"The answers to the most important questions are never easy." Raven stood up. "Good luck, Melody. Let me know how it works out. Now, I'm going back to bed."

FLASH!

Lowhawk Ridge and the waterfall and the cave and the cold all returned and Lus Soveran was gone. Melody unconsciously rubbed her arms for warmth, but her mind was already elsewhere. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift inward over every memory and feeling she had ever felt for Yumi. A million images and sensations from their life together fell over her like the waterfall she stood beside and when she opened her eyes she knew where Yumi was.

The largest tree on the mountain was a centuries-old oak tree two miles southeast of the Johnson Homestead. It stood on the very edge of a steep bluff that overlooked the countless valleys of the range. The trunk was fifty feet wide at its base and more than a hundred feet tall. It dwarfed everything around it save for the mountain itself. It had lasted so long that the ground beneath it had begun to erode away. Several of its long roots dug into the earth and met only air instead.. Melody and Yumi had discovered long ago that they could climb down these roots to a hollow spot beneath the tree. The view there was spectacular. One could look forever were it not for the glowing mist that perpetually covered the mountain range. It was a special place for Yumi and Melody and the site of hundreds of conversations between them.

And now it was the place where Yumi cried. It was a muted, hiccuping sobbing that was directed inward. She sat on a half buried stone, hugged herself and rocked back and forth. It stabbed Melody's heart to see it. She silently climbed down the hanging root and Yumi, too engrossed in her own grief, failed to noticed her. Melody sat on the rock behind her and reached around her to hug her middle. Yumi started sharply.

"It's okay." Melody rested her chin on her shoulder and said softly in her ear. "It's me."

Yumi shuddered and her body still felt tense in Melody's arms. "I'm sorry." She sniffed. "I didn't mean to-"

"You shouldn't be sorry." Melody hugged her tighter. "You told me your greatest secret when you were scared to death to do it, you know? I'm honored you trust me that much."

Yumi took in a deep breath. She lifted her hands to cover Melody's. "I-Is that all you are? Honored?" She asked weakly. Everything hung in that moment.

"I...don't know." Melody said it as honestly as she could. "I don't know how I feel yet. All I know is that you're my best friend and I'd rather die than lose that, okay? I don't know how long it's going to take to sort out my feelings, but I want you here to help me. I don't want you to run away from me."

Yumi's head bowed as she took some time to absorb that. Then her big, dark eyes were wavering when she pivoted around on the rock to look at Melody. She took in her wet skin and flimsy nightgown and her blue-tinged lips. She reached out and gently pushed a strand of Melody's blonde hair from her face.

"C'mon." She said. "Let's go back before you catch cold."

Melody smiled at her. They disappeared together and reappeared on the bluff above the hollow. Then they held hands and walked back together as dawn finally arrived and the sun rose to shine on them.


	39. Oct 8: Where's The Fighting?

"_Everybody knows me." - Woman in the Black Dress_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Intermission: Where's the Fighting?**_

_The timber wolves had spooked the cattle again. Jonny never could figure out why they would come down to the valley from the northern mountains once every few months to try their hand at taking down a prey that outweighed them not by pounds but by tons; maybe they faced lean times after a string of unsuccessful hunts and attacked out of desperation and hunger or maybe sometimes they just wanted a bigger challenge than their normal diet of rabbits and deer provided. While the wolves had never succeeded in taking down a cow, their infrequent attacks were still annoying no matter the reason and several cows bore claw and teeth shaped scars on their flanks and rears._

_This time, however, the wolves had sent ten or more cattle into a mini stampede. Cows were docile creatures by nature and the fences that enclosed them were reference markers more than anything else and certainly not meant to be tested by thousands of pounds of blind, panic-driven force. The stampede had plowed through the wooden fence like it didn't exist and left a gaping, ten yard hole in it. The cattle – once they were calmed – were simple enough to wrangle up and drive back into the pen. The broken fence, on the other hand, would take considerably more work._

_And it was that fence Jonny was tending to this morning. He sweat under the Arizona sun as he shoved a new post into the ground and began to hammer in the crossbeam. Music the horse stood some distance behind him, picking lethargically through the grass to graze on the occasional flowery morsel. Every now and then he would lift his head, supervise Jonny's work and give a satisfied whinny before going back to his lazy herbalistic hunt. _

_It was nearly mid afternoon when Jonny finally finished the repair. His shirt had been stuffed in Music's saddlebag long ago and his short brown hair was soaked with sweat. He was hungry, thirsty and weak from the heat. He had worked much longer than was safe for him to so do so. His characteristic stubbornness had kept him there until the job was done. Now he leaned heavily on the fence, his sweaty forehead resting against his forearms as he tried to muster up the energy to climb atop Music and ride back to the house._

"_Jon-ny!"_

_That sweet call brought a smile to Jonny's parched lips. He looked up and, sure enough, Amber was riding over the far rise. Amber on horseback was always poetry in motion. No one could handle a horse quite like she could and certainly no one looked better doing so. She advanced at a loping gallop that ate up the distance between them and then pulled in her horse next to Music. She dismounted gracefully and smiled at him. She stood barefoot in the grass clad in the white and blue sundress Jonny loved so much. It was made of thin, clinging cotton that accentuated her form more than hid it. Amber's long, straight black hair streamed in a sudden refreshing wind like a flowing pennon and yellow wildflowers dotted her hair like an organic crown. In her hand was a bottle of ice water Jonny gratefully knew was for him._

_But then something unexplainable happened. There was a strange fl-fl-fl-flicker and for each split second of the flicker it seemed that Amber's dress and flowers disappeared to be replaced by a white hood and a long, flowing cloak._

_And then it was nighttime and Jonny found himself sitting high up in a tree stand on the edge of Bluestone Ranch where the valley met the mountain forest. A butt of a long rifle sat between his feet and he leaned the barrel over one shoulder. Below him was a misty forest floor and a clearing with only minimal undergrowth. There was the hooting of owls, the rustle of leaves and, from far off, the chilling sound of a screaming bobcat. Jonny shivered in the cold and saw his breath join the rest of the mist._

_Jonny had done this more than once. Whenever the wolves began to become a more consistent nuisance, he would take his rifle out and wait for them. He was a good shot and he could usually pick off two or three of the pack before they fled and the rest would run frightened back to the mountain where it would take a goodly amount of time before they worked up the courage to come down again._

_He didn't have to wait long. The wolf pack appeared below him, ghosting through the mist on silent paws. They advanced slowly, placing their paws carefully before picking up the next. Jonny was downwind and out of their range of vision above them. He held his breath and shouldered his rifle. He found the pack leader, squinted one eye shut and looked down the gun sight at him. He lined up the shot, clicked off the safety and tensed his finger to fire. The wolf's eyes suddenly turned a demon red and looked up to stare directly at him. Jonny gasped in fright, his heart thundering as he watched the wolf impossibly morph. It's legs lengthened and it's elongated muzzle shortened and it's gray fur turned into dull black armor. Where the wolf had been a moment before stood the skull-faced Red-X. The other wolves changed as well. There was Spoiler and Black Eyes and Geo Force and Gladius Girl, all of them looking up at him with unnatural, glowing red eyes filled with evil, unspeakable intent. They ran through the mist at him in perfect unison, matching each other step for step. Jonny gasped and fired blindly at them, but his bullets had no effect. The gang of fighters leaped all at once and streaked at him with unreal speed to rip him to shreds. Jonny opened his mouth to scream._

_And then White Hood was there. She levitated between him and the demonic fighters. She lifted her arms and a white aura flashed out like a bomb and engulfed them in its light. When the dark of night returned, Jonny was safe and the unsettling eyes were gone. White Hood, still flying, pivoted in the air to face Jonny and he looked up at her in awe._

"_Who are you?" He whispered._

_White Hood lifted her gloved hands to her hood. She pulled away her veil and pushed the hood back over her shoulders._

_Jonny didn't recognize her face, but that wasn't entirely true. He recognized parts of it. He recognized the high cheekbones and the sharp nose and the short black hair that dipped under her chin. He recognized the dark chocolate skin and the pink streak of hair at her brow. And her pink lips and silver-blue eyes stirred something deep inside him. He stared at the impossible mix of White Hood's exposed face._

_When she spoke, it was in the odd chorus of three voices at once. "Who do you want me to be?"_

Encore snapped back to reality with the echo of ringing in his ears. He was lying in the fine grit of the arena floor and looking up into a face with high cheekbones, a sharp nose and a bob of short black hair that curved inward just below her chin. Encore frowned up at her in thought, trying to understand why those features would stand out so starkly to him.

"Encore!" Aquagirl had her hands on his shoulders in a literal attempt to shake him out of it. "Get up! The fight is over!"

Encore sat up and rested his elbow on his knee. He rubbed his cheek as he subconsciously filtered and listed his various aches and pains and bruises and scratches he had sustained during the fight. Then his head jerked up as his senses returned. "Where is she?" He asked sharply.

Aquagirl blinked at him. "Where's who?"

"Amb-" Encore stopped himself and began to look around. "The girl in the white hood," he said. "She was fighting with me."

Aquagirl swiveled her head to search around the arena floor with much less fervor. It was mostly empty, with only a few mobile fighters still hanging around to admire their handiwork and helmeted guards carting away downed and injured fighters. "I don't see her." She decided. "She must have already gone to the back area with the other fighters."

"I've got to find her!" Encore stumbled to his feet and trotted toward the closest exit.

Aquagirl followed him and awkwardly matched his pace. "What about the guy you were looking for?"

"What guy?"

"The one in the picture you were showing around earlier, remember?"

That stopped Encore in his tracks. In his mind's eye he was stooped down on one knee in the front of the hospital and looking into the face of a brightened and hopeful little girl named Bridget.

"_You're gonna save my brother, aren't you, mister?"_

"_Yes, ma'am. I promise."_

"Isn't that the whole reason you're here?" Aquagirl went on. "You're not just in it for the money, are you?"

Encore sighed, buried his face in his hands and took in a deep breath. "Okay," he exhaled in decision. "Daniel first and then White Hood. I reckon the prize money gets bumped to third on my priority list."

Aquagirl looked shrewdly at his face. "But it's still important, isn't it?"

"It's all important. I've got someone counting on me to bring back all three."

The fighter's area was a large, open ring that encircled the arena floor. The long, curved hallway was built to be a recreational lounge to accommodate the athletes and musicians that performed there. Deep cushioned chairs and couches dotted the area and there were even a few whirlpools built into the floor that Aquagirl eyed longingly. Televisions, pinball machines and arcade games lined the walls and punching bags, treadmills and other exercise equipment were in abundance. The room also happened to be richly catered.

In his mind, Encore was standing in place scanning the area for Daniel and White Hood. In reality, his feet automatically carried him over to the long gourmet table where he immediately snatched up the nearest piece of food – in this case, a chicken leg – and bit into it voraciously. Even as he chewed, his other hand was collecting several pieces of bread and cheese and stuffing them beneath his poncho. Aquagirl stared at him as he ripped into the chicken again, found it was only bone with only tiny bits of meat hanging off and picked up another piece. "When's the last time you ate?" She asked him.

The sound of Aquagirl's voice broke the spell and Encore realized what he was doing. He slowly lowered the second half-eaten leg and cast a sheepish, shamefaced look at her. "...I like chicken." He explained himself weakly.

"Yeah," Aqugirl gestured. "I can see that." She glanced over her shoulder and saw Indigo nearby. "Well, good luck finding whoever you're looking for. I'll keep an eye open for you."

It took Encore a moment to work through his embarrassment and understand the implication of that. "You ain't gonna help me look?" He asked.

"Hey, I got things to do, too, you know! Maybe I can find time later to help, but don't count on it." She paused and gave him a pensively earnest expression that seemed uncharacteristic of her. "Thanks for having my back earlier." She told him. "I don't know if I could have advanced to the next round without you."

Encore gave her a grateful smile. "I could say the same thing about you, darlin'."

Aquagirl returned the smile, punched him solidly in the shoulder and started on her way. "Don't call me 'darling'" She told him with a flip of her hair.

Encore winced as he watched her go and rubbed his quickly bruising arm. "Yes, ma'am." He murmured.

On the other side of the lounge – in the form of the blonde-headed Garfield – Beast Boy stood slumped against the wall. He looked down at his hands and watched quite clearly as the green bubbled and swam across his white skin like oil on the water's surface. He sighed and, if it was possible, he slumped even lower. Above him was a largely unseen and unheard background noise of a television angled down from the ceiling.

"_Welcome back to TBEP News where we always bravely give you the level truth. I'm Vincent Caprell and, as the panel was discussing before the break, the newest poll numbers for the Jump City Mayoral Seat made empty last year by the tragic hit and run accident that killed former incumbent Amelia Madeline shows Independent candidate and local philanthropist Marcus Verilli ahead by five points. How do we explain Verilli's success without the backing of a major political party?"_

"_It's really very simple, Vincent. The citizens of Jump City are a new breed of American. They are part of a progressive, new age generation that years of bad and self-serving government have alienated. Verilli has done a masterful job of painting himself as an outsider – someone outside the game of politics – and an incorruptible figure who can protect Jump City from partisan games and tactics. It's really quite brilliant."_

"_Also, though it may be blasé to say it, the sympathy vote is squarely in his favor. He was reputedly close friends with the former mayor and has characterized his campaign as a testament to continue her legacy. We must remember that Mayor Madeline was extremely popular during her tenure in office and with the recent disappearance of his-"_

"_I'm very sorry to interrupt, but we just got word that the newest member of our reporting team Ms. Bethany Snow is out in the field and – as I'm told – has tracked down Jump City's new controversial celebrity, the religious figurehead known as Sister Blood. Bethany?"_

The television scene switched from a generic newsroom and desk to a Jump City street in front of a hulking structure of steel and wood and colored glass surrounded by yellow cranes and bulldozers. There was a young, curly-haired blonde woman in a smart, buttoned down blouse and a dark blue skirt cut daringly short for her position. Beside her was a tall, thin woman in a deep red robe. The hood of the robe was down, revealing her regal face and soft, hairless scalp. Next to her was a young person hidden in the folds and hood of an identical robe.

"_T-thank you, Vincent. As you have...already said...I am Bethany Snow, here before the nearly completed Church of Blood with its leader, Sister Blood. Sister Blood – m-may I call you that? - the construction of the first Church of Blood on American soil has caused much controversy over the past year. M-many naysayers accuse your religion of promoting violence and terrorism the world over. Zandia, the home of your religion, has been engaged in a bloody war with Markovia for nearly a decade now with no signs of stopping. How would you dispute these critics?"_

"_Bless you, child."_

"_Um, t-thank you."_

"_I can understand why many would be wary of the Church of Blood. In your culture, even the name sounds quite scary. It evokes images of monsters and vampires and other supernatural things that stalk the night, yes? For us, however, blood is a holy substance. It is the thing that gives us life; the bond all living things share and are connected by. It is a lifestream, Ms. Snow, and it is something we respect very much. I have no doubt your viewers can understand our views, even if they at first seem strange and different. That is what America is all about and the reason we chose your great country as our first site of expansion. We want to spread our message of peace and harmony to the whole world. Certainly, we bless all of those who disagree and wish to ignore us. But for those that are searching for a philosophy and a way of life and self-discovery, we open our doors for you. No one is turned away. We are all imperfect beings, made perfect by the sanctity of life. Now, as for Zandia: There are many faithful followers of Blood there and we are thankful for them. However, the Church of Blood is in no way affiliated with any world government. We are saddened by any war anywhere and pray for it's quick conclusion. In addition-" _

Not far away was Black Eyes, sitting on a short futon. His wooden sword was laid across his knees. He polished and buffed out the nicks and notches the blade had received during the opening brawl with a coarse, angled rock that functioned both as sand paper and a sharpening stone. He had been trying to ignore the broadcast, but finally he glanced up at the screen in irritation. "Turn that garbage off." He said to Beast Boy.

Beast Boy slowly emerged from his contemplative brooding. He looked at Black Eyes, at the television and then back at the swordsman again. "Tch, do it yourself."

Black Eyes stopped smoothing his sword long enough to pick up the blade and point its tip at the television. Black, smoky murk poured out from beneath his shades. It traveled down his arm, along the sword and through the air towards the television where Sister Blood was smiling serenely with one affectionate arm around the smaller robed figure beside her. The murk covered the screen first to hide them from view, then absorbed into the device through the crevices and pores. Once inside, it expanded in a sharp explosion, destroying the television completely. Beast Boy didn't flinch as debris and glass shards fell down around him.

"We invented something called a remote control like a million years ago, dude. Maybe you should look it up."

"There's no reason to be a sore loser." Black Eyes said calmly, attending his sword blade again as if nothing had happened.

"I'm not being a sore loser." Beast Boy said sullenly. "I just-" He stopped and made a face. "Whatever."

Black Eyes looked at him but said nothing. He waited a moment and then turned back to his sword to-

"I wasn't trying to hurt her." Beast Boy said. "I was trying to protect her. That's all I ever wanted to do, ya know? But I didn't." He sighed. "I lost my head; let out the beast inside me. I don't know that part of me. I don't know what it would have done if you hadn't-"

Black Eyes looked up at him and Beast Boy hesitated.

"You protected her when I couldn't" Beast Boy went on. "I don't know why...but thank you. Really."

Black Eyes nodded slowly but said nothing.

"I don't know why I got so worked up." Beast Boy was nearly rambling now and Black Eyes couldn't be sure if he was really being spoken to or if this blonde shape-shifter was just thinking out loud. "I mean, I want to help people. But there were other kidnapped people not ready to fight, you know? But Julia...she looks like someone I used to care about a lot; someone really precious to me. I thought that maybe she was still in there but...now I know she's not. She's not the girl I used to know anymore."

"Her name isn't Julia." Black Eyes murmured.

"What?"

"The girl. Her name isn't Julia."

"I think that used to be true." Beast Boy said regretfully. "But it's not anymore. She wants to be Julia. It makes her happy. She spent so much of her life running away from something. This way she doesn't have to run anymore."

"It makes her a coward." Black Eyes declared. "And it makes you a coward to accept it. Tara's destiny will take here far away from this city."

Beast Boy gasped. "You know Terra?"

"You can give up on her if you want to." Black Eyes stood up to say. "But I'm not. I'm going to bring Tara back to where she belongs."

"Terra's gone! I tried to talk her out once! If I can't get to her, you can't either!"

"I don't plan to talk."

Beast Boy grit his teeth and clenched his fists. "What do you mean? I won't let you hurt her!"

"No, you won't." Black Eyes smirked at him. "You said it yourself: You can't protect her."

A growl formed in Beast Boy's throat, but it never made it any higher. His fist went limp and he slumped again. Black Eyes put his sword in its scabbard, turned his back on Beast Boy and walked away.

On the far side of the building, Indigo and Aquagirl had tried to leave the arena together only to be stopped by nondescript, kevlar-armored guards stationed at every possible exit who told them in no uncertain terms that no one was allowed in or out until the tournament was over.

"Now what?" Aquagirl asked. Indigo tapped her shoulder and Aquagirl followed her line of sight to see a door with a familiar sign over it. "Oh, great." She rolled her eyes. "We can call the Titans while we powder our noses."

"Do you have a better idea?" Indigo asked her calmly.

Aquagirl looked left then right and decided she didn't.

Once inside the bathroom, the two girls made sure it was empty and quickly locked the door behind them.

"We're not going to have much time." Aquagirl said. "Better do whatever it is you're going to do fast."

Indigo nodded and brought two fingers up to her temple. Her violet eyes flashed and then glowed steadily.

"Indigo and Aquagirl reporting in." She said. "The first round of the tournament is completed."

"_Is everyone well?"_ Starfire's voice asked.

"No one is hurt, but Beast Boy didn't advance to the next round."

"_Beast Boy shouldn't have had any trouble winning in that kind of setup."_ Robin said suspiciously. _"Is he there?"_

"We're in the girl's bathroom right now." Aquagirl piped up. "That would be a little awkward, don't you think?"

"_Maybe Beast Boy just isn't good at fighting tournaments."_ Cyborg said. _"He went out in the first round of the Master of Games tournament, too."_

"_That was a long time ago._" Raven reminded him._ "I find it hard to believe it would happen again."_

"_Who eliminated him?"_ Robin wanted to know.

There was only the slightest moment of hesitation before Indigo answered. "I did."

"_What!"_

"He was out of control. I had no choice. He changed into a large, humanoid lupine and attacked me. At that point he could no longer be reasoned with. I had no choice but to fight him."

"_W-wait."_ It was Robin again. _"You were able to take down Beast Boy's werewolf form?"_

"I had help." Indigo stated as a matter of fact.

There was a knock on the door behind them.

"We can talk about all that later!" Aquagirl cut in. "What do you want us to do now?"

"_Remember that you have two mission objectives."_ Robin reminded them. _"We need all the information we can get on the kidnapped metahumans and the tournament's financier. Do you have any leads"_

"The goons posted around this place led away some of the fighters are the first round. I bet they're our snatched fighters."

"_It makes sense that they would keep them away from the other competitors."_ Raven agreed.

"_Any idea where they're being held?"_ Robin asked.

"I didn't see where they went." Aquagirl said. "I stayed behind after the fight to help a friend."

"_The cowboy?"_ Raven said.

"How did you-"

"_We saw you talking to him outside before the first round started."_ Robin's voice told her.

"_Be careful who you trust in there."_ Raven advised her seriously. _"People who participate in illegal underground fighting tournaments don't inspire confidence."_

Aquagirl frowned at that, but she had no suitable response.

"_What about the financier?"_ Robin wanted to know.

"As I reported earlier, there is a suspicious luxury box above the arena floor." Indigo stated. "The windows are tinted and the guards are keeping everyone away. There is also a highly-concentrated energy field over the only door to prevent unauthorized entry. Logic would suggest our financier is located there."

"_Is there any way to get inside?"_ Cyborg asked.

"Not as long as the energy field over the door is up, no." Indigo paused and pursed the red lips that looked even brighter next to her blue skin. "I can sense a large amount of electronic equipment inside the box. Most likely that is their main control panel and base of operations. It's possible that I could create a wireless up-link and commandeer the system."

The knocking on the door turned into banging.

"Occupado!" Aquagirl shouted.

"_You can do that?"_ Cyborg ignored that.

"It depends on a number of factors, but yes, I believe I can. Should I make the attempt?"

There was silence over the line as the idea was considered.

"_Do it."_ Robin decided. _"But don't do anything extreme. Let us know if you learn anything. And don't forget about Beast Boy,"_ he added. _"We sent him in there with you for a reason. He has experience with these situations. Don't make any major moves without his input."_

"Very well," Indigo said. "Indigo and Aquagirl, breaking communication."

"_Be careful."_ Raven and Cyborg echoed each other.

The glow left Indigo's eyes.

"Do you need my help with your hacking plan?" Aquagirl asked.

"No. I should be sufficient on my own."

Aquagirl nodded. "You do that. I'm going to see if I can find where they're keeping those kidnapped hombres."

Indigo raised an inquisitive pink eyebrow. "Hombres?" She asked, but Aquagirl was already leaving. She jerked open the bathroom door to see a line that included a white-faced harlequin girl and Kitten.

"Jeez!" Aquagirl said to them. "Can't a girl powder her nose in peace!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Daniel sat in one of the long, narrow passageways that connected the arena floor to the outer lounge. He sat on a low stool as a long line of injured fighters waited for their turn to be tended by him. Standing unobtrusively beside him with a demure calmness was a pale-skinned beauty with long, cascading blonde hair and a long, lacy black dress that hung low on her creamy shoulders.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked her bitterly.

Adonis was next in line. He stepped in front of Daniel and knelt down on one knee. "Don't give me no lip." He said. He removed his helmet and jabbed a finger at the angry red gash above his eye. "Just fix it."

"I wasn't talking to you." Daniel muttered. He spoke over his shoulder as he reached out to touch Adonis' face. "I wish you'd tell me when you're invisible."

"Of course you do." The woman in the black dress said in a voice that was at once sultry and deadpan. "It wouldn't be nearly as fun if you didn't."

"Yeah," Daniel said drily. "You're all about fun, aren't you?"

Adonis looked at the empty spot where the woman in the black dress stood and growled. "I said don't give-"

"Again: Not talking to you." Daniel interrupted him. "Now hold still." Daniel's hands shone brightly and the glow transferred to Adonis' gash as if he was suddenly filled with blinding whiteness. The cut closed itself and the broken skin reconnected seamlessly. The same gash appeared on Daniel's forehead long enough for a thin stream of blood to roll down his face before it disappeared in the same way. Daniel grimaced, sucked in a huge breath and quickly drank from his silver flask.

Adonis squinted at him. "Are you okay, man?"

"Terrific." Daniel groaned hoarsely. He took the earthenware jug from his belt and refilled his flask. "Next!"

Gladius Girl stepped forward. She ignored Daniel completely to stare hard at the 'invisible' woman beside him.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded of her coldly.

The smile the woman in the black dress gave her was even colder. "Hello, Charon. How is your father?"

Gladius Girl glared hatefully at her but didn't reply.

Meanwhile, Daniel had blinked several time and looked disbelieving at the two of them. He looked at Gladius Girl in shock. "You _know_ her!" He all but spluttered.

"Everybody knows me."  
"Everybody knows her." Gladius Girl and the woman in the black dress said together.

Gladius Girl looked away from him. "Don't interfere with my mission."

"I don't even know what your mission is, child." The woman in the black dress cocked her head to the side. "It shouldn't take much to find out, though." She reached foward her pale hand, palm out. The red stone pendant beneath Gladius Girl's breastplate and undershirt floated upwards into plain sight. The necklace came off her neck and jumped to the pale woman's hand. "Ah, I see." She intoned. "Clutching at straws, are we?"

"Give that back!" Gladius Girl grated. "I won't let you stop me!"

"Stop you?" The woman in the black dress repeated. "Why would I want to? I've always been neutral, Charon. You know that. I couldn't care less about this mission of yours."

Daniel looked at the stone pendant that hung so close. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Without thought, he found his hand reaching out toward it. As he came closer, the red stone suddenly flashed and glowed a bright fiery color. Gladius Girl took advantage of the surprised moment to snatch back the necklace.

"Your pet is one of them." She said. "I should have known."

"Hey! I'm nobody's-"

"Yes, you are." The woman in the black dress told him. She looked back at Gladius Girl. "I'm not here to interfere with you. I strongly suggest you give me the same courtesy. Scout out your potential saviors to your hearts content, but this one is mine."

"Yo!" Someone shouted in the line of injured fighters. "Some of us are hurting back here! Hurry it up!"

Daniel spotted Gladius Girls' injury. "Your arm." He said.

Gladius Girl sniffed at the dirty, multicolored bruise on her bicep between her armored wrists and shoulders. "Geo-Force got in a lucky shot. It's nothing."

Daniel reached out to touch it, but Gladius Girl pulled away from him. "Don't touch me!" She snapped at him.

"You're missing out." The woman in the black dress said mildly. "Daniel is actually quite good with his hands."

Gladius Girl looked hatefully at the woman, gave a glance of disgust at Daniel and then turned and left the tunnel.

Daniel was unsettled by the way she had looked at him. "I'm not your pet." He insisted.

The woman in the black dress looked at him coolly. "A pet that isn't broken yet is still a pet."

TTTTTTTTTT

The luxury box over the arena was larger than the word 'box' might infer. It was a wide, long, richly-furnished room replete with its own personal bar. Maryse Gemini sat in a deep, leather-cushioned chair with high arms and a curved dome design that cradled her curvy, aqua green suited form. Sitting on both sides of her in similar chairs was the swordsman Druj, the blindfolded Afreet, the golden-haired Seraph, Roulette in her dark red kimono and – situated in the corner with a plethora of computer equipment – a lab-coated Dr. Pytor Raskov.

Maryse leaned forward in her chair, palming an elegant glass of chardonnay and watched the dozens of screens that were set up above and below the outside-tinted looking glass. Each monitor was focused on a different fighter and others shot the action from different angles. She adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses as she watched each one intently. In the bottom corner of each screen was a number showing the current fighter's KO count.

One monitor showed Danny Chase, the tournament's youngest competitor. He wasn't even attempting to fight, opting instead to cower fearfully near one of the closed exits. A smirking Mammoth advanced on him, his huge bulk shrinking Danny into insignificance. Danny brought two trembling hands to his forehead and tried to shove Mammoth away with a telekinetic blast, but the energy was only enough to shove the giant back only a few inches. Seeing that failed, Danny cowered, covered his head and huddled down as small as possible with his eyes tightly shut. Mammoth laughed, stood over him and laced his fists over his head to smash down on him. And then another telekinetic blast radiated out, this one ten times more powerful than the first. Mammoth was flung away, bouncing and rolling through the arena floor grit. Danny, unaware of the energy he had unleashed, continued to shiver fearfully.

Another monitor showed the broad-shouldered teen known as Fear wearing a short mask in the shape of a skull. His eyes flickered and turned black like clear orbs filling with smoke. Nearby was See-More, shrieking and yelling and swatting at some invisible horde around him. His eye blaster shot at nothingness, occasionally hitting another fighter entirely by accident. Fear watched him calmly and measured him. One moment he was standing as still as a statue and the next he took two quick steps and slammed his heavy boot in See-More's face. The helmeted cyclops – completely unprepared for the attack – collapsed in a heap.

Maryse's eyes continued to roam over the monitors. "So many interesting prospects." She cooed. "What do you think, Roulette?"

Roulette sipped at her own drink through a straw. "I don't know what you have planned, Ms. Gemini. All I can do is rate them as fighters."

"Very well." Maryse said. "Which, in your opinion, are the best fighters?"

Roulette tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Red-X and Spoiler without question." She said. "Their technique is top notch and their teamwork is phenomenal. Together, they would be nearly impossible to defeat."

"Except they were." Seraph piped up. "The cowboy and the girl in the white hood fought them to a standstill."

"True," Roulette admitted. "But a standstill and a defeat are two different things. If I was a betting woman – and I am – I would say that Red-X and Spoiler would have eventually won that contest."

"Perhaps we'll get a chance to see." Maryse said. "Who else, Roulette?"

"Gladius Girl, Geo-Force and Black Eyes." Roulette told her. "I've only seen one other warrior like Gladius Girl and she might be the strongest woman in the world. Geo-Force is the most powerful solo-elemental I've ever seen. His power over earth is extremely dangerous. As for Black Eyes, his powers and skill with a sword make him a deadly assassin."

"You're forgetting about Aquagirl." Druj spoke up. "She eliminated more fighters than Geo-Force."

"Yes," Roulette said. "But she depends on water to be effective. Earth, on the other hand, can be found anywhere."

"She doesn't count, anyhow." Maryse said. "She's with the Titans."

Roulette stopped in the act of taking another sip of her fruity drink and did a double-take. "The Teen Titans?" She asked. "That means they're on to us! It's only going to be a matter of time before-"

"Relax." Dr. Raskov looked up from his control panel to tell her. "I have everything taken care of."

Roulette didn't object further and returned to her drink, but her face was still uneasy.

Maryse ignored her. "Neither does Black Eyes." She continued, mostly to herself. "He's Verilli's lapdog." She nodded contemplatively and took a moment to let the information she had heard sink in. Then she turned to the blonde girl on her right. "This is going to be your team, Seraph. What do you think?"

Seraph leaned forward in a strange mimicking of her mother's early movement to look closer at the monitors. She pointed at one where Beast Boy's werewolf form was lifting up Julia in it's clawed mitt. "What about her?" She asked.

"The girl?" Roulette scoffed. "She did nothing during the entire round! The only reason she advanced was because Black Eyes protected her."

Maryse looked at Seraph curiously. "Why does she interest you? What do you see in her?"

"I'm...not sure." Seraph said hesitantly. "I just feel like there's more to her than we see. I can't explain it."

Maryse might have said more, but just then Dr. Raskov recoiled from his control panel as an electric feedback singed his fingers.

"What is it, Raskov?" Maryse demanded.

The doctor rolled back up to the control panel and typed in a flurry of wrinkled fingers. "Someone's attempting to wireless hack into our hardline. They're trying to take control of the system."

"Well, stop them!"

"Of course, Ms. Gemini." He looked intently at the computer screen in front of him, his mind dissecting and interpreting lines upon lines of code and computer gibberish. "This electronic signature is...familiar. Very familiar. Wait...no, it couldn't be!" He typed even faster and mashed the enter key. The screens showing the replay of the first round all switched to a black and white live feed of the bowels of the Gemini Building.

"Raskov!" Maryse said. "What are you doing?"

"Checking something very important, Ms. Gemini." Raskov assured her. He typed again and the pod in the center of the surveillance feed opening with a depressurized hiss and a cloud of cold steam. When the steam cleared, the comatose blue body of Project 21, Codename: Indigo was clearly visible.

"What's going on, Raskov?" Maryse wanted to know.

"Something very interesting." He said. He sweat as he typed, his weathered brow furrowed in concentration. "But I have to act quickly. My opponent is much smarter than I am." He typedtypedtypedtypedsquinted and hit enter with a flourish.

In a bathroom stall some distance below the luxury booth, Indigo flinched. Her electronic muscles tensed and jerked. Her pink glowing eyes flickered, trying to break the wireless contact, but it was too late. Her eyes clenched shut and, when they reopened, her pink orbs had changed to a sinister red.

Dr. Raskov leaned back in his chair with an oily, self-satisfied smirk on his face. And that is precisely when the earthquake began. Dr. Raskov's chair flipped over almost immediately and spilled him onto the floor. The tremors were strong and rattled the whole arena. The foundation of the old building creaked and groaned eerily as its immense weight shifted and rivets shot out of rusty support beams with a staccato popping that was not unlike small arms gunfire. While everyone clung to their seats to keep some semblance of balance, Seraph managed to stand and set her feet as steadily as possible. She was ready to act but unsure of what to do.

"It's C.W!" Even in the midst of the chaos, Dr. Raskov held fast to his logic first and foremost. "He must have accidentally detonated the explosives during the-"

"Don't be a fool, Raskov!" Maryse shouted above the turmoil at him. "C.W doesn't make mistakes! He set the explosives off on purpose! He betrayed us!"

"I didn't hear any explosions." Druj said.

"We can wonder why later!" Afreet's voice was tight, but it was surprisingly calm. "For now we have to get out!"

At that moment the front support beam beneath the luxury box gave way with a mechanical lament. The nose of the box dropped and everything and everyone inside was pitched forward. Seraph dove out of the side window, her invulnerable body shattering the reinforced, bulletproof glass. She swooped down, caught the tipping luxury box and lifted up the lower edge until the room was level again. Then she began the methodical process of melting the broken copper crossbeam with her heat vision and blowing it cool with her super breath to re-secure the box's foundation.

Back inside the box, Maryse and the others had found the floor again.

"Raskov!" Get the door open!" Maryse ordered him.

Dr. Raskov did as he was told. He hit a quick button sequence on his control panel. The door of the luxury box slid open and the concentrated energy field over it vanished with a buzzing flicker.

Druj was the first to the door. He peered out and saw at once the unconscious guards lying in boneless heaps on the floor. He reached over his shoulder to grasp the hilt of his giant sword and opened his mouth to give a warning, but it was already too late.

The flurry of motion that happened next all occurred in the span of two heartbeats as time slowed down. A masked woman dressed in blue and yellow swung down from the box roof and into the room, kicking Druj back with her flat-bottomed boots in the process. Even as he flailed, Druj managed to grab one of the chairs and push it at her. The woman jumped up on the chair meant to take out her knees and balanced precariously on two legs. Afreet disappeared and reappeared to slash at her with his black dagger. The woman shifted the weight of the chair up on one leg, spun, and kicked him away. She hopped off the chair and kicked it into Dr. Raskov. She ducked beneath the slash of Druj's sword, drew her rapier and put it's point into the hollow of Maryse's throat. When time resumed, Maryse was at the end the point of the woman's sword while the would-be assassin's neck had Druj's and Afreet's blades on either side of it.

"If you kill me, I'll kill her." The masked woman said. Her tone left no doubt that she wasn't bluffing.

"Stop." Maryse said. Her eyes flicked from Druj to Afreet. "Don't try anything."

"Good." The woman smirked. With her free gloved hand she tapped a radio in the collar of her body suit. "You can stop now." She said. The earthquake stopped a moment later and everything was deathly still.

"Well," Maryse said, somehow ignoring the weapon poised at her throat. "If you wanted to kill me you would have done it already. Who are you? What do you want?"

"You can call me Ravager." The woman said. "I'm just here to confirm something. Then you can go back to your games."

"Out with it, then. What do you want me to confirm?"

"You put a bounty on Slade's head, right? You want him dead?"

Maryse looked up at her warily. "I would have a certain amount of satisfaction in his death, yes." She admitted carefully.

"Excellent." Ravager said efficiently. "And just how much would this satisfaction be worth to you?"

"It's hard to put an exact price on-"

"Ten million." Ravager insisted. "Ten million dollars and I'll find and kill Slade."

Maryse looked into the red eyes of Ravager's half-mask. Then she smiled. "I like your style, girl. If you can do what you say, I'll double it." She held up a finger. "If..._if_...you can get out of this room alive."

Druj's sword and Afreet's dagger pressed closer against Ravager's pristine white neck. Ravager smirked wider, reached into one of the yellow pouches on her belt and dropped flash and smoke pellets at her feet.

FL-FL-FLASH!

The luxury box was filled with a strobe of blinding white light and dark smoke. Maryse, Druj and Raskov all reeled back and covered their eyes. Afreet was protected by his blindfold, however, and his unique way of seeing made the smoke inconsequential. He watched as Ravager silently slipped away.

And then Seraph returned. She flew outside the broken window and inhaled mightily, sucking in the dark smoke of the luxury box. She looked up and exhaled, releasing the smoke in a billow towards the roof of the arena.

Afreet 'looked' at Maryse. "Do you want us to go after her?" He asked.

"No," Maryse was intrigued. "I think she might actually be able to do what she says."

Unseen behind Seraph on a balcony across the way was Mr. Austin with a pair of binoculars. As Seraph flew back into the luxury box, he was able to see past her through the broken window. The sights of the binoculars were blurry at first, but then they focused to clearly show Maryse's face. Mr. Austin put the binoculars into his jacket, turned and disappeared into the staircase behind him.


	40. Oct 8: Mirror, Mirror

"_You're the one that made the most important woman in the world into a pathetic waste of space!" - Black Eyes_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Round Two: Mirror, Mirror**_

The earthquake was gone, but its aftershocks could still be felt throughout the building. The tournament fighters in the lounge ring buzzed and milled about like an agitated swarm. If it got out of hand the black kevlar guards positioned strategically in every part of the arena would be insufficient to stop them.

That's where Roulette came in. She went down to the up-heaved lounge ring escorted by Druj and – more importantly – his overly large sword. He cleared a path for her to the large, theater-like television screen, his dark cloud of an expression enough to move away the more stubborn fighters. Once there, she held up a megaphone so she could be heard by the crowd.

"Attention!" Her amplified voice said. "Competitors! Give me your attention!" It took several more attempts before the crowd had settled down and formed around her. "The earthquake is over now!" She assured them. "The cause is not yet known-" she looked suspiciously at Geo-Force, but he was impossible to read in his armor and helmet. " -but we are certain it won't happen again. The tournament will go on as planned."

Roulette took a small remote from inside her kimono and pointed it at the television behind her. A tournament bracket appeared on the screen. It didn't take the first round melee into account. It started with the second round and each starting bracket was blacked out by a censor square.

"I'm sure the winners are all eager to know who you'll be fighting next." Roulette went on. "And as for the losers, betting is still open, of course, and future prizes are still possible based on your earlier performance. As I said before, the matches were made based on the number of eliminations from the opening melee. Now, let's not waste any time, shall we?" She clicked the remote again and the two censor bars that hid the first two combatants disappeared from the big screen behind her. "Match one will pit Black Eyes against Julia!"

Black Eyes, standing near the lead of the crowd, gave a satisfied little smile at that. Beast Boy's face, however, was pale and withdrawn. Julia wasn't present.

"Match two is Red-X vs Veil!" Roulette hit the button and moved on. "Match three is Geo-Force vs Chase!"

Encore stood near the back of the crowd, eating a crudely made sandwich of turkey and cheese from the gourmet table and washing it down with a bottle of water. Gladius Girl, her armor clinking, moved to stand beside him. Roulette continued to announce matches, but Encore was only half-paying attention.

"You shouldn't eat before a fight." Gladius Girl told him quietly. "A warrior with a full belly is a slow one."

"Warriors that die of starvation are even slower." Encore drawled. "Thanks, though."

Gladius Girl gave him a look of consternation. "Are all men so flippantly stubborn?" She asked him.

Encore grinned and winked at her from behind his round shades. "I certainly hope not. It would take away from my charm."

Gladius Girl scowled and shook her head, but then she let it pass. "I found the boy you were looking for." She said.

Encore did a double-take at her and tried to talk, only to realize he had a mouth full of bread. He half-coughed and took a long swig of water to clear his throat. "You found Daniel? Where is he?"

"They're using him as the tournament healer." Gladius Girl nodded. "They have him locked deeper in the building with the other kidnapped fighters. I don't know where exactly. The area was closely guarded."

Encore's face went thoughtful, momentarily forgetting his sandwich. He mulled over his options and his face grew long and reluctant when he decided on one. "I reckon I'm gonna have to try to fight my way down there." He speculated slowly.

"That's very brave of you." Gladius Girl told him.

Encore began to smile-

"But stupid." She finished. Encore's smiled died on his lips. "You don't have enough information yet. The boy should be able to tell you everything you need to know."

"Probably so." Encore agreed. "But how do I get close enough to talk to him?"

"Simple. You just have to get hurt in your next match."

Encore had zoned out Roulette's announcements, but he heard the next one loud and clear.

"In the sixth bracket," Roulette was saying. "The match will be Gladius Girl vs Encore!"

Gladius Girl smirked at him. "That should make it even simpler." She said.

Encore didn't trust himself to reply.

Meanwhile, Aquagirl had been searching the crowd for Indigo. She found her on the left edge of the congregation and quickly walked up to her.

"How did the hack job go?" She whispered to her.

Indigo didn't reply. She stood stock still and straight with her face pointed forward.

Aquagirl pulled on her arm and tried again, louder this time. "Indigo! Were you able to connect to their computers?"

Again there was no reaction. Aquagirl waved her hand in front of Indigo's face. "Hello! Hola! Is anyone in the-ow!" Indigo grabbed her by the forearm hard enough to leave a bruise and shoved her hand away. "Hey!" Aquagirl gingerly rubbed her arm. "That hurt! What do you think you're-"

Indigo's head suddenly jerked to the side to face her and Aquagirl saw her glowing red eyes for the first time. The water elemental started and stepped back in surprise. Apparently satisfied with that reaction, Indigo turned away and returned to her stoic, statuesque pose. Aquagirl carefully stepped around her and wadded deeper into the crowd to find Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy." Aquagirl whispered to him. "We have a problem."

Beast Boy's glassy eyes didn't react to her.

"Not you, too!" Aquagirl huffed. She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

Beast Boy blinked at her. "S-sorry. What?"

"Something's wrong with Indigo." Aquagirl told him. "I can't get her to answer me. I think something happened to her when she tried to hack into the mainframe here."

"Maybe she overloaded or something?" Beast Boy guessed. "Blue screen of death for the blue chick? Maybe she's rebooting."

"I don't know. But without her we can't contact the Titans. They told me to follow your lead." She looked at him seriously. "I don't know what happened out there in the fight, but I need you right now. I don't know what to do."

Beast Boy nodded, his face taking on a grave responsibility. "Okay," he said. "Have you found out anything yet?"

"I saw the kidnapped fighters being taken away after the first round. They're being held somewhere downstairs, I think, and Indigo said the ringmaster is up in the luxury box over the arena."

Beast Boy looked up, even though the box wasn't visible from where they stood. "I'll check out the box. I can get in without being noticed. Do you think you can find out more about where the kidnapped kids are being held?"

Aquagirl looked over at where Encore stood next to Gladius Girl. "Yeah, I think I can."

"Don't do anything risky." Beast Boy said to her. "You're still a newbie. If you find the kids, come get me. Don't try to break them out by yourself."

"I wasn't planning on it. What about Indigo? We can't just leave her like that, can we?"

Beast Boy glanced at the blue android. She hadn't moved since her exchange with Aquagirl. "We don't know what's wrong with her and we couldn't fix her even if we did. Cyborg is the only one that would know what to do and we can't get her out of here right now. We can't make a scene until we know who the boss is here and we have the kidnapped kids under our control. The best thing we can do now is to do what we came here to do as quick as we can, okay?"

Aquagirl looked wistfully at Indigo before she nodded. "All right," she reluctantly agreed.

Some distance from the gathered crowd – yet still in sight of the bracket screen – Geo-Force had sneaked away to lean casually against the curved outer wall of the lounge wing. Next to him was a grated ventilation cover. The bolts that held it in place were rusty and time had turned the metal of the covering a dull black color. It was hard to see beyond the grating, but Geo-Force managed to just make out the dark, shapeless inflection inside.

"How did it go up there?" He asked. Geo-Force was careful not to look at the grating and his voice was muffled and distorted coming from inside his helmet.

"Just as we planned." Ravager's voice ghosted out of the vent. "Your earthquake was stronger than I anticipated."

"Sorry. I get a little overboard sometimes when I'm excited." He fidgeted inside his bulky leather armor.

"Don't be." Ravager told him. "I couldn't have gotten inside without your help."

"What did Gemini say? Did she agree to the bounty?" Geo-Force asked.

"Even better. She offered to double it. That's ten million dollars for both of us." Geo-Force could hear the smirk in Ravager's voice.

"Do you really think she'll pay up?"

"Yes. She has more than enough reason to." Ravager said. "Slade's robots stole nanotechnology from her twice and then his apprentices kidnapped her two human experiments. All of that is worth a lot more than twenty million dollars. Besides, I think she's afraid of Slade; of what he's capable of. So when _we_ kill him, she'll be afraid of us. She'll pay us just to make us go away."

"Or she'll try to kill us." Geo-Force suggested.

"That's possible, too." Ravager admitted blandly. "That's the excitement of being a mercenary. What's Maverick up to?"

"Feeding his face, mostly." Geo-Force reported as he watched him standing near the back of the crowd. Aquagirl walked over to him and the two began to talk. "He's also getting pretty cozy with Aquagirl. His name is Encore now, by the way."

"I liked Maverick better." Ravager's voice said from the vent. "I have to admit-" She broke off suddenly as a guard passed by them. She went on when he was gone. "I have to admit I like the cowboy getup, though. It's very retro."

"I'll buy you a cowboy hat for your birthday."

"I'd rather have the chaps." Ravager said so drily that Geo-Force couldn't be sure if she was joking or not. "I'll take up the shadow now if you want to go. The guards never found the skylight we came through. Total amateurs."

"Thanks, but I think I'll stay." Geo-Force replied.

"It's Julia, isn't it?" Ravager asked shrewdly.

"You saw her?"

"Twice. I had to do a double-take. Who is she?"

"I don't know." Geo-Force said. "That's what I'm sticking around to find out."

"Okay. You do that. I'll keep a tail on Maverick."

"Encore."

"Whatever."

"Do you really think he'll lead us back to Slade?" Geo-Force asked.

"I hope so. He's the only lead we have right now."

Encore and Aquagirl had already stolen away by the time the brackets had been announced, the crowd broke apart and the fighters separated to begin their individual and unique preparations for the fights ahead. Aquagirl led the cowboy down a corridor that connected the lounge ring with the outer ring of the arena.

"So, where's the place you saw them take the fighters down?" Encore asked as they walked side by side.

"Hold your horses, cowpoke." Aquagirl said. "We'll get there."

"You're not nearly as funny as you think you are."

"Of course I am." Aquagirl flicked back a strand of her short black hair. "You just can't appreciate it because you're the one I'm making fun of."

Encore allowed that to pass. "Okay," he said instead. "I know why I'm doing this. I promised Daniel's little sister that I'd get him out of here. What's your stock in all of this?"

Aquagirl glanced at him, but didn't reply.

"Fair enough." Encore conceded. "I can understand if you don't trust me."

"I do trust you."

"You do?"

Aquagirl nodded. "Something happened between us outside before the first round." She explained. "I don't know how but, for a second a there, we were connected. I was inside your head. I could see your thoughts and memories. It's how I knew you could fly and that you're afraid of heights. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I know you."

Encore gave her a wary look. "What did you see?" He asked her cautiously.

"It's hard to put into words. It was like watching a movie in fast-forward and the scenes kept jumping around. I could only make out so much. That was the first time I've ever done anything like that."

"I didn't see anything."

"I'm the telepath." Aquagirl reminded him. "Not you."

Encore rubbed his cheek, feeling the light, downy teenage stubble that came from several days without shaving. "So, you trust me but you're still not going to fill me in?"

"Yep."

Encore knew he should have felt offended by that, which was why it surprised him when he wasn't. Aquagirl was intentionally – even blatantly – leaving him in the dark, but he found he didn't mind. She trusted him, was honest about it and was helping him. That was enough for him.

They passed the booths where richly-dressed men and women were placing their bets for the next round.

"What's your name?" Encore asked nearly before the question had formed in his own mind.

"I already told you: Aquagirl."

"I don't mean your codename. I mean, you know, your actual _name_. People say Encore and it still takes me a second to realize they're talking about me."

Aquagirl lowered her head. "I don't remember." She murmured.

Encore felt a little hurt by that. "I thought you said you trusted me?"

"I'm telling the truth." Aquagirl insisted. "I've got...amnesia or something. I don't remember anything about myself. Even my name."

"I'm sorry." Encore said. "How did it happen?"

"What? My amnesia?"

"Yeah," Encore said.

Aquagirl stopped, put her hands on her hips and gave him a painfully obvious stare. Encore blinked back at her, just as obviously oblivious. "I don't know." Aquagirl finally grated out when it became clear he wouldn't catch on. "I _forgot_."

"O-oh..." He rubbed the back of his neck ruefully, but Aquagirl was already moving on. He trotted after her and fell in step beside her again. "Well, my name's-"

"Jonny, I know." She went on when she saw his quizzically raised eyebrow. "I was in your head, remember?" She pointed ahead at a darkly lit staircase. "That's where they took the fighters."

"Let's go." Encore said. But even as they reached the mouth of the staircase, two black-armored guards stepped out of it.

"Where are you going?" One of them demanded harshly. "This is a restricted area!"

"All fighters should be in the lounge." The other one said.

Encore was caught completely off-guard. "W-well, you s-see..." He groped for some kind of answer. Aquagirl, on the other hand, thought much faster on her feet. She reached down, interlocked her fingers with his and leaned affectionately into his side. Her other hand wrapped lazily around his waist.

"None of your business!" She said to them.

The lead guard looked at the two of them. He took in Encore's awkward nervousness and Aquagirl's confident, clingy assertiveness.

"Go find somewhere else to be alone." He grunted and waved them off. "This place is off-limits."

Encore blinked. He raised a finger-

"Come on, baby." Aquagirl was already pulling him away by the hand and he faltering followed her. Encore had somewhat regained his composure by the time they had turned a corner out of sight.

"That could have gone better." Aquagirl muttered. Encore on the other hand, was still stuck on something else.

"Wait a minute," he said. "I can't call you darlin' but you can call me baby?"

"It's a double standard." Aquagirl smiled impishly at him. "Get used to it. Now what?"

Encore considered it. "Let's camp out here for a bit." He suggested. "Maybe we'll get lucky and something will happen to call those guards away. Then we'll be in position to get down there."

"So what? We just wait here and do nothing?" Aquagirl asked him.

"I'm open to other suggestions."

Aquagirl mulled it over, but ultimately couldn't come up with anything. "Okay, fine."

Encore peeked around the corner and saw the guards were still there. They leaned on either side of the staircase opening and stood like men prepared to settle in for quite a while. A long moment passed in the little embrasure he and Aquagirl hid in. They could hear the crowd of high-stakes gamblers not far away, discussing the odds, boasting about their picks and poking holes in the bets of others.

Encore fidgeted for yet another moment before he spoke up. "Aquagirl?"

"Yeah?"

"You can let go of my hand now." He said delicately.

A beat.

"...oh, sorry." Aquagirl quickly released her soft grip on his hand. To her credit, she didn't blush.

TTTTTTTTTT

It was getting worse. The effect the toxic waste Gemini dumped into the bay had on Beast Boy was nearly gone. A green squirrel with only minimal brown streaks of fur scampered atop the outer barricade of the arena floor as spectators began flooding back into the stands for the start of the next round. It hopped nimbly into the stands, bound up the steps and through dozens and dozens of stomping feet. It turned down a row of chairs, found a metal support beam and climbed up towards the luxury box hanging high overhead.

Holly stood in the shadow of that support, cursing under her breath and trying in vain to get her cell phone to work.

"Damn piece of junk!" She muttered in frustration. She shook the device as if somehow expecting that it would work if only she tried hard enough. "As reliable as a Swiss cheese condom, I swear!" She lifted the device over her head to slam it down into the ground, but something made her stop.

Across the way, Holly spotted two young women wearing sashed designer dresses, stylish sunglasses and floppy, long-brimmed sunhats. They held hands, the taller one led while the smaller one stared down at her feet and followed along blindly. Holly couldn't help but notice they were the only people leaving the sitting area; everyone else was filing in to see the fight that was bout to start. On a whim that was half fueled by curiosity and partly motivated by intuition, Holly slipped out of her hiding place to inconspicuously follow the two of them up the stair aisle and into the outer arena ring.

Meanwhile, the green and brown squirrel that was Beast Boy continued its ascent. It leaped off the metal column in a long arc and landed nimbly on an old electric cable that hung high above the arena floor. It crawled paw over paw along the cord, moving steadily despite the cable's constant shaking and bouncing. Beast Boy hopped onto the ledge of the luxury box just below the broken side window which had since been covered up by a taut blue tarp. Still, Beast Boy saw that it wasn't quite tight enough. Provided he changed into something small enough, there was room between the window frame and the plastic sheet for him to slip inside.

And then Roulette's voice resonated through the arena's intercom system. _"Intermission is over and all the bets are in! Now it's time for the first bout of the second round to __begin! Coming from the first gate is the mysterious, shadowy swordsman who led the opening brawl with an impressive twenty three eliminations: Black Eyes!"_

The bloodthirsty crowd cheered when Black Eyes emerged from the tunnel far below, but the shades-wearing assassin ignored them. His wooden sword was already drawn and he held it limply at his side. The blunt tip dug through the arena sand and left a long line in its wake as Black Eyes walked forward.

"_And from the opposite gate,"_ Roulette charismatically continued. _"She miraculously survived the first round without a single elimination! She's the ultimate baby-doll underdog: Julia!"_

The gate door opened, but Julia didn't appear. There was the beginning rumbling of an angry, restless murmur from the crowd. Julia stumbled out before it could get out of hand, shoved from behind by an unseen guard. There was no real reaction from the crowd; they knew as well as Julia what would inevitably happen next. Julia lost her balance and fell to her knees in the grit. She scrambled to her feet and dashed back as quickly as she could, but it was too late. The heavy steel door had already slammed down to block off the gate.

"_Can Julia pull off another miracle or will Black Eyes' dominating ways continue? We're about to find out! Let the fight commence!"_

Julia turned away from the door to fearfully face her fate. She shook and shivered even as she recognized Black Eyes. "Y-you!" She said. "You're the one from before! You helped me...k-kept me from getting hurt!"

Black Eyes said nothing. He held up his sword, reversed it and stabbed it into the sand. He left it behind to slowly strafe around Julia. At first he said nothing. He merely watched the weak, quavering creature before him. He circled her like a viper around a trapped hare and he took in everything. He saw Julia's hopeless slump. Her unclenched hands were at her side, not even attempting to defend herself. Worst of all were here eyes; those big, round eyes that somehow managed to be sky blue in the light and rich purple in the dark. There was fear there, yes, but also a kind of dull lifelessness which spoke louder than any words that Julia had given up. She had accepted her powerless existence and was waiting for the world to do with her as it would.

It made Black Eyes sick to his stomach. The crowd around him cried out for violence, but he paid it no attention. The corner of his lip turned down in disgust. "Who are you?" He asked Julia.

"What?"

"Your name." Black Eyes clarified curtly. "What is it?"

"J-Julia," she stammered out. "My name is Jul-OOF!"

Black Eyes suddenly buried his uppercutting fist into the unprotected pit just below her solar plexus. The force of the attack lifted Julia's narrow frame off the ground and the energy discharge from Black Eyes' murking super-speed sent a circular wave of dust spiraling in all direction.

The crowd cheered its approval as Julia fell heavily to her knees. Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes and both skinny arms clutched around her middle. She gaspedwincedbreathed, gaspedwincedbreathed and gaspedwincedbreathed, trying to refill her lungs with the air that had so brutally been forced out of her.

High ahead on the ledge of the Gemini luxury box, Beast Boy watched with – ironically – the large black eyes of a squirrel. He knew the goal of his mission was just inches to his left, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the fight.

Black Eyes gave Julia a moment to recover before he ordered: "Get up." He told her.

Julia stayed down. Her shoulders shook as silent, hiccuping sobs racked through her. That only made Black Eyes angrier. "I said _get up!"_ He jerked her to her feet by the front of her school uniform. Julia went limp and put her chin in her chest.

"You're pathetic." Black Eyes seethed. "Stand on your own two feet! Look me in the eye! Where's your pride?"

"W-w-w-w-why are you doing this?"

"Why? Because you're the reason I live."

Julia looked up at him in surprise and, perhaps subconsciously, straightened and put her feet under her.

"Better." Black Eyes let go of her jacket and even smoothed it out for her. "Now, what's your name?"

Julia's surprised turned instantly back to fear. "Please! Don't make me-"

"_What. Is. Your. Name?"_ Black Eyes stressed.

Julia gulped. "Jul-"

Black Eyes grabbed her arm, used his own shoulder as a fulcrum and slammed her hard to the dirt. "Your name is not Julia!" He shouted. "Stop hiding! Stop running!"

Julia crawled to her hands and knees. Her hair fell in a veil over her face and she shook her head. "I don't know...what you're talking about. I'm not-"

Black Eyes kicked her in the side and she rolled several feet away. Black Eyes pulled his sword out of the sand before he stalked her yet again. Up on the ledge, Beast Boy flinched.

"You always wanted a normal life." Black Eyes said. "You hated the responsibility. You were afraid of it. But I never thought you were a coward."

Julia had made it back to her feet. She cowered and haltingly stepped back away from him. "Please! I'm not who you think I am!"

Black Eyes swiped at her knees with his wooden sword and they shot out from beneath her. Julia flipped, cartwheeled and landed with devastating impact on her side. She laid face down in the dirt and didn't move. The crowd was silent as they all leaned forward to see if she was done.

Black Eyes didn't give her the choice. "You're tougher than this. The strength is still inside you. You just have to find it." He nudged her over with his foot and she limply flipped over to her back. She looked up glassily at him. Black Eyes hesitated and, for the briefest of seconds, it seemed like something like anguish filled his face. But then it was gone and his jaw hardened again. He knelt over her and pulled her into a half-reclining position by her school jacket again.

"Look inside yourself. Push away the fear. Find your true name. What is it?"

Julia said nothing. There was nothing she could say. Black Eyes snarled and punched her defenseless face. Her eye immediately began to swell and a stream of blood dripped down from the corner of her eyebrow.

Black Eyes stood up and shook his head. "I didn't want to do this." There was genuine regret in his voice. "But I don't' have a choice. You're two important to live out your life as just another schoolgirl. I was hoping to beat out your true self. Now I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut it out."

He ran two murking fingers along his wooden sword. The smoky substance covered the weapon and left behind a razor sharp blade. He held it above Julia, slowly waving it back and forth. Julia watched it with a quivering lip, waiting for the inevitable moment when it would descend on her. Black Eyes held the point of the blade just over her nose and, with a quick flick, sliced shallowly into her cheek. Blood rolled hotly down her cheek.

"This world needs, Tara." Black Eyes pleaded. "If you can't be the person you're destined to be, you're better off dead. Don't make me kill you."

"...Tara..." Julia repeated in a hoarse whisper. "He...thought I was...her, too. I-I'm not. I'm just Julia. I-I'm a B-student. I hate algebra. I have a c-crush on a boy in my civics class. So please...just leave me alone!"

Black Eyes looked down and let out a heavy sigh. When he looked back up, however, he had mentally and emotionally steeled himself. He lifted the sword over his head. "Forgive me, your Majesty." He tensed to strike. Julia furtively covered her head and huddled in a fetal ball, so she didn't see the green butterfly fluttering above her. He watched the butterfly float up in an arc and landed weightlessly on the flat edge of his blade. Black Eyes cocked his head to the side.

"Raugh!" Beast Boy shot up in all of his green-skinned, pointy-eared glory. He wrapped his hands around Black Eyes' throat and squeezed with a feral growl. Black Eyes choked and struggled to suck in air. He dropped his sword and gripped Beast Boy's wrists, but he wasn't able to free himself. He lifted his knee, wedged it between them and kicked Beast Boy off of him.

Beast Boy charged behind the blunt horns of a green ram. Black Eyes held his ground and slashed at him with his sword. The ram was suddenly gone and in its place a thick-bodied constrictor quickly wrapped around Black Eyes' body. The snake coiled around Black Eyes and began to squeeze. His arms and – more importantly – his sword was pinned uselessly to his side. Black Eyes grunted and struggled, but the snake's hold was too tight.

The snake's pointed nose nearly touched Black Eyes' own and haunting yellow eyes glared unblinkingly. The constrictor hissed, reared back and darted in with its fangs bared. Black Eyes dematerialized into smoky murk, slipped through the snake's coils and solidified a safe distance away.

"People like you are the reason she's like this!" Black Eyes shouted. "You're so eager to protect everyone that you end up coddling them! They grow dependent on you and forget how to take care of themselves! You did this! You're the one that made the most important woman in the world into a pathetic waste of space!"

"You take that back!" Beast Boy lunged at him as a black-striped tiger. Black Eyes rolled clear, picking up his sword in the process. Beast Boy pounced again and Black Eyes caught his gleaming claws and teeth on the blade of his sword. The big cat's bulk forced the swordsman back and threatened to crush him. Black Eyes grit his teeth and pushed him off with a pulse of murk energy.

Beast Boy slid through the grit and rushed back in on his own two humanoid feet. He launched a flying thrust kick and followed it up with a flurry of short-range punches, but Black Eyes was too quick to be hit. He dodged acrobatically and struck back with his sword.

CLANG!

The blade bounced off the shield-like head of a triceratops. Black Eyes reeled and Beast Boy morphed into a kangaroo. The green marsupial leaned back on its tail, balanced and lashed out with two flat, long feet.

Julia watched from her hands and knees as the fight went on. Everything she had gone through finally pushed her over the edge. She shook and trembled from pain and stress overload. "Stop it." She whispered. "Stop fighting over me..." Tears streamed openly down her face and, on her left cheek, mixed with her blood. "I'm not who you think I am. I'm just J-J-J-" She breathed in to let out a sob, but something broke inside her instead.

"_STOP!"_ She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Black Eyes and Beast Boy, who had been grappling with each other, froze in their tracks to stare at her.

Julia stood up and an unnatural calm washed over her. She looked up and her eyes glowed a golden yellow. The ground began to shake as she swayed, steadied herself and then walked towards them. Beast Boy and Black Eyes held their breath. Julia reached out with both hands and grasped each of their wrists.

"I'm not Tara." She told Black Eyes. With that, she began to melt. Her skin liquified and shifted and molded. Her hair turned black. Her shoulders broadened. She grew taller. Her blue and white school uniform became loose and black. When the process was done, she was a perfect mirror image of Black Eyes.

Smoke poured from Julia's shaded black eyes and there was a huge explosion of dark murk energy. Black Eyes was blown away and crashed into the arena barricade.

"I'm not Julia, either." She said to Beast Boy. It was his turn to look into the mirror. She began to change again. She grew shorter. Her skin darkened to green. Her hair shortened and her ears came to a point.

Beast Boy gasped a split second before she erupted up into the form of a tyrannosaurus-rex. The dinosaur spun and tail whipped him hard. Beast Boy sailed through the air and slammed into the barricade next to Black Eyes. The two of them slumped down and stared disbelievingly as the dinosaur shrank down to become the familiar blonde girl again they both 'knew' again.

Black Eyes exhaled. "It's-"

"-Not her." Beast Boy finished.

The blonde girl walked over to them and glared into both of them before she spoke. "My name is Rorrim."


	41. Present: Save Us, Nudity

_"Now ya'll mosey along." - Jonny_

_**Seventeen Years Later**_

**_Save Us, Nudity_**

The rising sun had brightened the mountain and burned off much of the morning mist. The fog that survived did so as fresh dew that glittered wetly on the grass. Melody and Yumi, still hand in hand, had nearly made it back to the Johnson Homestead when Jonny stepped out of the side glass door and saw them approaching. He stood there and waited for them.

"Good morning." He greeted them when they were well within earshot. "Where were you girls off to so early today?"

"We couldn't sleep so we went for a ride." Melody told him. Jonny nodded slowly. He took in their intertwined fingers and Melody's wet nightgown top and damp hair, but he let the facts pass without comment.

"Just be sure you use the door next time." He said instead. "I love you, Yumi, but that sound your teleportation makes damn near made me fall out of bed."

"Sorry, Mr. Johnson."

"Where are you going?" Melody asked curiously.

"The water pressure is a little low inside." Jonny said. "I figured I'd go out and make sure everything's okay with the well." He moved aside to allow them access to the door. He waited until Melody grasped the door handle before he said: "Melody, have you kissed your father today?"

Melody sighed and rolled her eyes. She leaned up on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. Jonny smiled and went over to Yumi. "And because your mother isn't here, here's one for you, too." He leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead. "Now ya'll mosey along."

"Your dad never changes, does he?" Yumi asked as she and Melody went inside.

"You can say that again."

"Your dad never changes, does he?" Yumi repeated with an absolute straight face. Melody smirked at her. The two of them walked through the kitchen and up the stairs to Melody's room. They released each other's hands and Melody was surprised at how cold her palm was.

Melody had closed the door behind them and peeled off her clinging nightgown top before she realized that, in light of all that had happened since last night, maybe it wouldn't be appropriate. She glanced quickly at Yumi, but her friend was sitting on the edge of the bed and respectfully looking away. Melody suddenly felt guilty. This was exactly the kind of thing Yumi had feared when she had revealed her feelings. Yumi's admission shouldn't change their relationship; it should just strengthen it and nothing else. Melody had the irresistible urge to show Yumi that nothing had changed; that she trusted her as much as she ever had. She knew it was the right thing to do.

Melody went to the closet and picked out two shirts at random. She held them up on either side of her, framing her nude torso above her low-cut jeans. "Check it out, Yumi." She said as casually as possible. "Which one do you like?"

Melody was unprepared for her own reaction when Yumi looked at her with those large, dark eyes of hers. Melody saw her rosy blush and the welter of emotions crossing her face. She was caressed by her gaze and it somehow felt as if her very soul was bared before her. Melody found she was holding her breath. Her heart thundered in her chest and her skin felt hot. Melody swallowed and reclaimed her voice. "W-Well?"

Yumi's blush deepened. "T-the blue one." She said quickly.

Melody looked left. She looked right. She smiled an incandescent smile. "They're both blue, Yumi."

_Author's Notes:_

_I'm sorry to say Melody's Shadow is currently on hold due to lack of interest and fan response. I am a mediocre writer at best and writing these chapters takes more effort and causes me more stress than it should. As with every other fanfiction writer, the only payment and/or satisfaction I get for posting is knowing others enjoy and are invested in said drivel. As of this writing, MS is averaging less than two reviews per chapter. I understand that complaining about reviews is quite the dick move (and I completely agree) but I figure it would be better to be honest than to just brush a forty chapter story under the rug with no announcement whatsoever._

_Melody's Shadow is my most ambitious story to date. We haven't even scratched the surface yet. (We're forty chapters in and Encore hasn't even joined the Titans yet!) My vision is of four acts and we're not halfway through the first yet. There are many more twists and turns and tears and laughs I would love to attempt to share with you, only I haven't felt like I've **shared** anything with anyone for some time now._

_To avoid appearing completely ungrateful, I want to thank everyone who has read and double-thank everyone who has reviewed. You've all put up with my slow updates and general ineptness and you deserve a medal for that if for nothing else. I apologize for my fickle and waning inspiration (and author's notes that are longer than this sorry excuse for a 'chapter')_

_The Jerk Who Has Lost His Smile And Is Threatening To Take His Ball And Go Home,_

_LB_


	42. Oct 8: Longest Afternoon Ever

"_I can hold fireballs in my hand without getting burned. I didn't think physics applied." - Encore_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Longest Afternoon Ever**_

_Rorrim had been running for days. Fear and desperation and adrenaline fueled her, but her body could only hold up under the strain for so long. Her bare feet were blistered, her muscles cramped, her mouth and throat completely parched and her stomach empty and pinched. Her mind was thick and blank from lack of rest and she was unable to sustain any thought more complicated than the animalistic instinct of self-preservation. She used the last of her strength to climb a half-rocky and half-smoothed slope of long cooled magma. She picked her way up to the cave at the top, stumbling and falling often. She had only taken two staggering steps into the cave entrance before she finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion._

_Several hours – or possibly even days – later, it was ultimately the sun that woke her. The sunlight shone in the cave mouth and its glow and warmth succeeding in waking Rorrim from her deep sleep. She stirred, groaned and stirred again. She blearily blinked away the brightness with a wince and escaped it by crawling deeper into the cave. Still weak and half-asleep, she pushed herself to her feet. Then, finally wiping her eyes clear and taking in her surroundings for the first time, she let out a short scream._

_At first, she thought she had been found by her intimidating pursuers, but instead she stood face to face with a harmless statue. Rorrim's curiosity ran away with her. Whether it was from true inquisitiveness or just an excuse to not think about her bleak circumstances for just a bit, it didn't matter. The statue was – Rorrim presumed – a life-sized effigy of a teenage girl. Her arms were raised above her head in a kind of silent supplication and stony strands of her hair was pulled in all directions by long dead wind. The sculpture's eyes were open wide and its mouth was agape in – from what Rorrim could tell by the expression on its face – a passionate yell._

_Rorrim had never seen a statue so life-like. She got the eerie feeling that the stone girl would move at any moment; to reach out and grab her, perhaps, or merely to sit down and tell her story. Rorrim couldn't help but extend her hand and touch the statue's face. It was as rough as she expected it to be, but it was also strangely warm. Before Rorrim could consider that, something began to happen. The warmth grew hotter and hotter. The entire cave shook and rumbled. The statue's eyes glowed a bright, wavering yellow. It cracked and fractured and the golden light from within shined out in rays and strobes. It grew so bright that Rorrim could no longer look at it._

_There was a sharp detonation and the statue exploded from the inside out. Rocky debris flew in all directions and Rorrim was flung into the cave wall. A section of roof collapsed and pounds and pounds of rubble rained down._

_Where the statue once stood, Terra was there. She gasped, filling her lungs for the first time in over a year. She breathed...breathed...breathed in the air and dust and darkness and absorbed her renewed consciousness. She brought her hands to her face, checking to be sure they were really skin and bone and muscle. Then, with a look of stunned bewilderment, she staggered off the pedestal that proclaimed her to be a Teen Titans and a true friend and out of the cave and into the sunlight. Terra had a second chance at life. She never saw the motionless hand sticking out from beneath the pile of rubble behind her._

TTTTTTTTTT

In the outer-most ring of the arena, Encore and Aquagirl were still staked out in the dim, narrow alleyway between two closed vender shops when an earthquake shook the building for the second time that day. Encore had been leaning lazily when it hit with one boot on the floor and the other braced flat against the wall behind him. This earthquake wasn't as severe as the first, but it was strong enough to knock Encore off-balance and make him stumble. He would have toppled over and fallen had Aquagirl not been there to catch him. The cowboy mumbled his thanks, but Aquagirl was already talking.

"What is this?" She complained. "Earthquake Day?"

Encore found his feet again and carefully peeked around the corner at the staircase that led to the sub-levels of the arena. He watched as what looked looked like a platoon of kevlar'd guards poured out of the staircase and quickly marched by his and Aquagirl's hiding place. In the midst of them, walking much more calmly, was the blue-skinned Indigo.

Encore squinted at her. Almost as if she could feel his gaze, she turned her head to look at the alleyway. She hesitated for a moment while Encore and Aquagirl hid and held their breath, but then she looked away and continued on. Encore explosively exhaled and glanced at Aquagirl.

"Wasn't she in the first round?" He asked her. "Why would the powers-that-be here have their own people in the tournament?"

"She's not one of them." Aquagirl said. "They did something to her. I don't know what."

"How do you know?"

"She's a friend." Aquagirl said shortly. "Can we get on with this now?"

Encore nodded and peeked around the corner again. "They only left one guard." He reported. "If you can go around the other side and distract him, I'll come up behind him and take him out as quiet as I can. Sound like a plan?"

Aquagirl put her hands on her hips. "What do you expect me to do? Flash him?"

Encore's mind went blank for a moment. Then he coughed, blushed and raised his gaze. "Ahem! I wasn't suggesting anything _that_ extreme. Just go chat him up."

Aquagirl made a face Encore couldn't quite read. "You're no fun." She told him archly. Then she turned and sauntered out of the embrasure to start her mission.

"I told you to scram." The guard told Aquagirl when she walked up to him.

"The cowboy got cold feet." She said through pursed lips. She ran a fingertip along his armored chest. "I thought maybe you'd be a littler warmer...and more inclined to use your gun."

The guard looked down on her and sized her up as if momentarily entertaining the idea, but then he grunted and shoved her roughly. "Do you think I'm stupid, kid? Now get back to the lounge ring before I-" He caught the quick flick of Aquagirl's dark eyes cutting behind him. He swiveled fast and caught Encore a split second before he had been prepared to attack. Encore flinched, sweat dropped and smiled lopsidedly.

Aquagirl sighed, laced her fists together and clubbed the guard senseless. "Jeez, cowpoke. Do I have to do everything myself?" She huffed.

Encore was already reaching down and picking up the guard under his armpits to drag him into the staircase. "Next time I'll do the flirting if it makes you feel better." He drawled.

"I'd pay to see that."

Encore gave her a weird look, but she ignored it. She picked up the guard's feet and together they carried him out of sight down into the staircase.

TTTTTTTTTT

Julia – or Tara or Terra – was dead. Rorrim had taken her place. The face and hair and clothes were all the same. The only difference was her eyes. They were no longer afraid or soft. There was a confidence and a tempered will there instead. Black Eyes and Beast Boy, still in shock at the revelation, could do nothing but flinch when those eyes glowed yellow and Rorrim used Terra's powers again. Rock sprang up from the arena floor and enveloped the two boys from the feet up, leaving only their heads uncovered.

The arena gates lifted. Dozens of black-clad guards stomped through them brandishing heavy laser rifles. Indigo led them, her eyes still lit up an eerie red color.

"_In light of this illegal interference,"_ Roulette's voice announced over the intercom system. _"The match has been awarded to Julia!"_

A rock wall suddenly sprang up to block off Indigo and her guards. More rock formations erupted upwards, each one clearly spelling out a ten foot tall letter: R-O-R-R-I-M.

Roulette could be heard nervously clearing her throat. _"C-Correction: The winner of this match is **Rorrim**!"_

At that, all of the rock – save for the two irregular columns holding Black Eyes and Beast Boy – sank back into the earth and left the arena floor level again.

Black Eyes looked hard at Rorrim. "Where's the real Tara?" He demanded.

"I don't know. Find her yourself." Rorrim turned her back on him.

"Please!" Beast Boy was much less harsh in his imploration. "Just tell us: Is she okay?"

Rorrim tried to ignore him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She sighed and looked over her shoulder at him. "I...don't know. I think so."

Indigo and her backup had crossed the arena floor and reached them. Two of the guardsmen broke off to flank Rorrim and led her through one of the exit gates. The others shouldered their laser rifles and aimed them at Beast Boy and Black Eyes.

A low, guttural growl formed in the back of Beast Boy's throat. His feral eyes flicked at Black Eyes. "Do you want to be caught by these goons?"

"Not really."

"Then you're gonna need my help."

Black Eyes' face showed his distaste for the idea.

"I don't like it, either." Beast Boy said bluntly. "But I don't see any other options here."

Black Eyes scowled. "Just this once." He grumbled.

Beast Boy expanded and erupted up into the form of a stegosaurus. The dinosaur's huge bulk cracked and broke through the rock that had surrounded him. Indigo gave the order and the guards behind her opened fire, but the red laser blasts bounced off Beast Boy's armored scales.

Black Eyes took the opportunity to materialize his body into the smoky murk element only he fully understood and slip out through the cracks and pores of his rock prison. He reformed and blurred through the ranks of the guards, slashing apart rifles as he went. Indigo turned towards him and calculated his speed and velocity in a single digital nanosecond. She backhanded him from twenty feet away, her arm impossibly elongating to reach him. The attack used his own speed against him. Black Eyes was knocked off balance, fell and he skidded and bounced across the arena floor.

Indigo waved several guardsmen over to continue the attack on the swordsman and then turned her attention to Beast Boy. She negligently plucked two laser rifles from the hands of the pair of guards closest to her and the alien nanotech that made up her body went to work. Pieces and parts and the very matter of the two weapons were changed and morphed and fitted together in a new composite. When the process was over, Indigo wielded a giant ice cannon. She aimed it at Beast Boy and bombarded him with icy, sub-zero blasts.

The cold-blooded stegosaurus couldn't stand up to the sudden temperature change. It's movements slowed and icicles formed on it's nose and tail. Before he could be completely frozen in place, Beast Boy abandoned the weakened form and shrank down – relatively speaking – into a shaggy green polar bear. He loped heavily through the arctic gusts and swiped a heavy, clawed mitt at Indigo's cannon. Guards lined up in front of her to take the hit instead and they were bowled over.

The ice cannon Indigo held had become a pair of long-handled tasers. She danced gracefully to the side and thrust both of them into Beast Boy's unprotected flank. Electricity seared through him and he let out an agonized roar. He turned awkwardly to bite at Indigo with his powerful jaws, but she had already maneuvered away and jabbed the tasers forward to shock him again. Instead of a polar bear, however, they found a giant electric eel instead. The eel absorbed the electricity and released it all in one great wave. The tasers overloaded and exploded in Indigo's hands. The electricity hopped into Indigo next, shocked her system and ragdolled her through the air. She landed in a flurry of blue sparks, rolled across the ground and smacked into a half-upright position against the arena barricade. When Indigo lifted her head, her eyes had flickered back to their normal pink.

"Beast Boy?" She said when she saw him standing over her. "Where are we? What are you-" She paused as the information came flooding back. "Beast Boy!" She said much more urgently after she'd processed it all. "I'm being controlled! I need you to get Cyborg as soon as possible! He's the only who can-urghhhh!" She began to tremble and shake uncontrollably.

"Indigo?" Beast Boy tentatively held out a hand to her. "Indigo?"

Indigo's head jerked up and, once again, her eyes flashed red. Her arms whipped out and, like elastic bands, wrapped and wrapped and wrapped about Beast Boy's middle to bring him into a crushing bear hug.

Beast Boy kicked and struggled. "H-hey! Lemme go!" He changed into a giant-shouldered ape, but Indigo's arms stretched to accommodate him. They squeezed even tighter and Beast Boy coughed and was forced to revert to his elven form.

"Black Eyes!" He yelled out. "Need...a little help!" He looked around for the swordsman, but all he saw was a path of downed guards leading to the open gate Rorrim had been led down. "Fuuuu!" Beast Boy spluttered. "Stupid, selfish, melodramatic, gary-stu SON OF A BARD!"

TTTTTTTTTT

The two young women made their way stealthily through the arena, their loose, rich clothes the very soul of the elite and privileged upper class. Their floppy hats and designer sunglasses hid their faces. They held hands and never broke contact. The taller one led while the smaller girl obediently followed, giving no indication that she knew or even cared where they were going. Trailing behind them was Holly, keeping out of sight while staying within a respectable distance. She inconspicuously followed them up an unguarded flight of stairs, a long upper balcony and then up a ladder to a metal grating catwalk high above the arena floor. Holly climbed up after them and stopped when her face was level with the catwalk. She cautiously raised her head to peer over it.

The taller of the two girls took off her hat and glasses and then did the same for her meek partner. Holly got her first good look at them. The older girl had a sporty, short hairstyle cut above her ears in spiky, feathered black locks and her face was covered with oddly symmetrical scars. The other girl was nearly bald with only a downy fuzz of blonde hair atop her scalp and wide blue eyes that continued to be downcast. The scarred girl reached into the stylishly sloping bodice of her light dress and pulled out a glittering silver chain and dangling cross pendant. The blue-eyed girl perked up immediately. She reached out, took the necklace and sat down with her narrow legs folded beneath her. She held the necklace in her lap and gazed down at it with complete bemusement.

A shadowy figure dropped down from the dark rafters and landed with heavy grace on the catwalk. The scarred girl tensed and stood up straight. In stark contrast, the sitting girl didn't even bother to look up from her jewelry. The broad-shouldered figure stepped forward and a sliver of light reflected off his single-eyed helmet. Holly had never personally encountered Slade before, but she knew Jump City's most notorious terrorist when she saw him.

"Paingirl, Lostgirl," Slade greeted them.

Paingirl gave him a bitter look. "Why can't you just call us Trish and Ashley?"

"Because that is no longer who you are." Slade answered her. "Trish and Ashley were normal little girls living normal little lives. Gemini killed them. You're Undergrounders now; my personal soldiers: Paingirl and Lostgirl."

Paingirl folded her arms across her chest defiantly, but kept her peace. Slade ignored her to study Lostgirl instead. He knelt down next to her, but she refused to acknowledge his presence. Slade swiftly reached out, firmly grasped her chin and forced her face up to look at him. Lostgirl squealed and tried to wriggle free of his grip, but Slade held firm. A round blue shield appeared around her, forcing Slade to withdraw his hand. The shield disappeared as soon as he did. Lostgirl shimmied around to turn her back on him and then went back to her examination of her necklace.

"Sometimes I wonder if there's anyone really in there..." Slade murmured.

"There is." Paingirl said with conviction. "Why did you call us up here, Slade?" Slade gave her a dangerous look and she quickly bowed her head. "Why did you call us here, master?" She amended herself reluctantly.

Slade allowed the transgression to pass. "Your mission here is no longer necessary." He said. "It appears we already have a spy keeping an eye on things here...and doing a much better job of it than you and your sister. Now you merely have to remain here and assist when the time comes."

As he spoke, he walked to the end of the catwalk where the ladder led back down. Holly quickly ducked beneath the level of the catwalk. Slade cast his single eye downward and, without warning, stomped his heavy boot. The top rusty bolts that held the top of the ladder in place snapped and slipped their fitting. The ladder flinched and then fell back with an awful creaking that was almost a wail in itself. Holly let out a shout as she fell. She reached into her burgundy coat and whipped out her trusty pistol. Even as gravity thrust her down, she aimed up at Slade and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew true but, a split second before it could impale through Slade's helmet and into his skull, a small blue shield appeared to deflect it away. Holly crashed through a glass window and fell into a long closed souvenir booth, crashing through t-shirts and foam fingers before rolling to an unconscious stop.

Slade looked down at her unmoving form and then over his shoulder at Lostgirl. "Perhaps you're in there after all."

TTTTTTTTTT

Aquagirl and Encore carried the unconscious guard to the bottom of the staircase he had been watching over. Encore grunted when they finally dropped him to the floor, but Aquagirl was no worse for the wear.

"I could have carried him myself." She said in an off-hand manner. "I'm like ten times stronger than you are."

Encore, who had already lowered himself to one knee and uncoiling the length of rope at his belt, glanced at her cagily. "Why did you wait until now to tell me, then?"

"You looked so serious, I didn't want to take the wind from your sails."

"Yes, you did. You just wanted to wait until _after_ I carried him."

Aquagirl smirked at him and, against his will, he smiled at the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. He tried to turn away to hide it, but Aquagirl had already seen. Encore cut off several lengths of rope from the lasso at his belt and used them to bind the guard's wrists and ankles. "Funny how hogtying works just as well on people." He murmured. He stood up and carefully looked over his handiwork.

"Shouldn't you gag him, too?" Aquagirl asked. "What the point of tying him up if he can just yell for help when he comes to?"

"I don't really have anything on me to use as a gag."

"How about that horse blanket of yours?" Aquagirl pointed.

Encore frowned at her. "This is a poncho, not a horse blanket. A _poncho._" He stressed the word. "And no, I'm not gonna stuff my _poncho_ in his mouth. No, ma'am."

"Jeez, cowpoke. Did I strike a nerve much?" Aquagirl asked.

Encore tried to glare at her, but he could only manage it for a moment before he broke into a chuckle. "Half the time I want to hug your neck and the rest of the time I want to ring it. I can't figure you out, Aquagirl."

"Good," she winked at him. "That means I'm doing it right."

"Doing what right?" Encore wanted to know, but Aquagirl's only answer was a mysterious smile.

"Women!" Encore muttered under his breath before turning his attention back to the guard. "I reckon I'll just melt his visor shut. That ought to keep him quiet enough." He decided. He hummed a tune and a hot tongue of flame appeared on the tip of his forefinger. He had just finished the smoldering job when they heard several sets of footfalls above them.

"Somebody's coming!" Aquagirl hissed. She dragged the limp-limb'd guard and she and Encore huddled together beneath the last flight of stairs. A dozen kevlar'd guardsmen marched in a double file down the steps and out into a wide hallway. Between them in the center of the simple formation was Indigo. Her arms were still stretched tight around Beast Boy's middle.

"Hey, guys! Come on!" He kicked and struggled. "Let me go! Don't I get a phone call or something? Normally I wouldn't balk at getting a hug from a beautiful woman, but this is _ridiculous_!"

Encore squinted after the escort. "Is that...Beast Boy? The Teen Titan?" He whispered.

"Of course it is!" Aquagirl whispered back. "Who else has a mouth on him like that? Oh, and he's _green._"

"Wait," Encore said. "How do you know what kind of mouth he has?"

Aquagirl replied with a straight face: "I don't kiss and tell."

Encore did a double-take, but then the wheels in his head began to click and several details he had as of yet overlooked fell into place. "You're working with him, aren't you? Ya'll are here undercover."

Aquagirl started to deny it, but then decided it was no use. "We're here to free the kidnapped fighters." She admitted.

"Yeah, but...you're the _Teen Titans_." Encore stated. "Why not just come in here with guns blazing?"

"It's not just about the kidnapped kids. They want to find out who's running things here."

"So, what? You're letting them fight against their will while you investigate? What if one of them gets hurt?"

Aquagirl frowned. "It made a lot more sense when Robin said it. Take it up with him."

"No thanks." Jonny quietly undid the unconscious guard's gun belt and clasped it around his own waist. He drew the laser pistol from its holster, twirled it around his finger once and then shoved it back home.

The cavalcade around Indigo and Beast Boy marched around a curved corner and led them out of sight.

"Let's go." Aquagirl said and she and Encore followed after them. As they crept along, she glanced sidelong at him. "Sorry for busting your chops so much." She apologized. "I didn't mean it. At least, not all of it. It's a coping mechanism, I think."

Encore was genuinely impressed with her forthrightness. "It's okay. What are you trying to cope with?" He asked.

"All of this." Aquagirl gestured around herself. "I'm not used to fighting and planning and sneaking around. I'm more Raiden and less Solid Snake."

The look Encore gave her was one of ignorance.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Aquagirl sighed. "You don't have video games on that ranch of yours? Or just electricity?"

"Video games are my sister's department. You'd have to take it up with her." He paused. He thought. "Wait...how do you know about video games if you have amnesia?"

"I stay in the light?"

"What?"

"I don't have complete amnesia." Aquagirl explained. "I don't have any personal memories about myself, but I remember all the general stuff: History, pop culture, math, how to tie my shoes...it's the other stuff I can't remember."

"That's awfully convenient."

Aquagirl stopped and grabbed him sharply by the arm. "_You_ forget your name and your family and your friends...your favorite color, what kind of music you like, what you think is cute in a boy...everything that makes you _you_. _Then_ you tell me how convenient my amnesia is, got it!"

Encore took in her red face, parted lips and the disheveled hair that had fallen into her face. He saw the hurt in her eyes and was immediately ashamed. "I'm sorry." He lowered his head and mumbled. "I didn't mean to-" Encore's voice trailed off when he raised his head and saw Aquagirl's expression hadn't changed. He inhaled and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry." He told her earnestly.

Meanwhile, Indigo, Beast Boy and the guards had turned another corner and entered through a solid sliding door to arrive at their destination. The large metahuman cell took up most of the room and the bars of energy hummed and filled the air with light and sound. The prisoners looked up miserably, took in the situation and looked away again. Beast Boy spotted Rorrim right away, still wearing the form of Terra. He gazed at her, but she didn't look back. He took a moment to drink her in, his eyes soft, then a false joviality twinkled in them.

"Hey, guys! Cut it out!" He said. "Just because I'm a one man zoo doesn't mean you gotta throw me into a cage!"

The guards ignored him. One of them clicked in a code on a keypad and six of the buzzing yellow bars disappeared to reveal a narrow door. Indigo moved forward to throw him through it and into the cell.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Beast Boy clucked. "Before you throw me up and lock away the key...or something like that...lemme tell one last joke! Riddle me this: How do you keep an elephant from charging?"

He changed into a giant green elephant. Indigo's stretchy arms still held him. He used his trunk to pick up one of the guards and toss him into several others. Then he gored the control panel with his ivory tusks. The remaining bars of the cell flickered, grew faint and then disappeared entirely. The room was suddenly deathly quiet without the electronic hum.

Beast Boy changed back to his elf form. "You take away it's credit card!" He smirked. The kidnapped metahumans blinked in surprise. The guards fidgeted, unsure of what to do. Beast Boy cleared his throat. "Um...viva le revolution?"

The girl known as Spark struck first. She held out her hands and multicolored energy balls sprang from her fingertips and poppoppopped at the feet of the guards, making them dance and scatter. Emboldened by seeing her take the lead, other prisoners rushed forward.

The scaly-skinned Dracon bulldozed through two guards and tail whipped a third. A fourth guard aimed at his broad, open back with a laser rifle. Encore came around the corner and used his newly acquired pistol to shoot the rifle out of his hand. A split second later, Wynter blasted the guard with a beam of cold and froze him to the far wall. Another guard anxiously backed away from the green lion that stalked him. He suddenly tripped and tumbled to the floor where the skull-masked Fear quickly came over and kicked him senseless. There was a static-like flash and the blonde pilot Veil reappeared on her hands and knees where the guard had fallen. The rest of the prisoners joined the fray save for Rorrim. She stood in the metahuman cell with her arms crossed while she calmly watched the violence around her.

The armored guard were unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with a bum rush of united metahumans, but Indigo was a different story altogether. She ran, slid beneath the billow of Dracon's fire breath, vaulted up and slammed both of her blue feet into the dragon man's face. She landed and looked around carefully. Her pupils expanded and then narrowed to pinpricks within her red irises. She grabbed Spark by her long mane of hair and tossed her into empty air. Spark smacked into Veil and the two of them rolled across the floor together. Indigo stumbled from a telekinetic punch. She swiveled fast to see Danny Chase, the youngest of the kidnapped metahumans. He looked up at her and strained to keep a brave face despite his great fright. Indigo expressionlessly slapped him down with the back of her hand.

"Rrrrraugh!" Fear came at her with everything he had. He fired a piston-like flurry of heavy, overhand punches at her, stomping forward with each strike. Indigo backpedaled before him with long, reverse strides and glided away from him in perfect time. They appeared locked in some graceful, intricate dance as Indigo dodgedodgedodged rapidly. Then, with no warning whatsoever, Indigo stepped forward between Fear's frenzied attack and wrapped her hands around his throat. She lifted him off his feet, increasing the torque and pressure. Fear's eyes turned black even as he choked, trying to establish the psychic link that would allow him to see and manipulate Indigo's fears. But Indigo, without a human brain, was completely unaffected. Fear's kicking and thrashing grew weaker and weaker.

"Indigo! No!" Aquagirl plowed into her side and Fear was dropping gasping to the ground. The two women flipped, tumbled and together came back to their feet in a test of strength. They pushed against each, their fingers interlocked over their heads. "This isn't you!" Aquagirl grunted. "Snap out of it!"

Indigo tried to pull away, but Aquagirl's mutated muscles were too much for her. She stretched her arms out instead, impossibly backing further and further away while Aquagirl held fast. Then the android lifted her feet off the ground and retracted her arms all at once, launching herself forward like a slingshot. She lifted her knees up to her chest and drove them with incredible force into Aquagirl's face. Aquagirl was catapulted into the empty cell. Rorrim calmly stepped to the side and Aquagirl cratered into the back cell wall behind her.

A green raptor bit through a guard's laser rifle and headbutted him away before turning back into Beast Boy. "Electricity!" He said. "We have to shock her!"

"I can do it." Encore volunteered. He hummed and pointed a finger. A bolt of blue electricity sizzled out and arced at Indigo, but she was too quick. She leaped over it, charged at the cowboy and aimed a pair of spin kicks at him. He dodged the first and ducked beneath the second, finding himself back to back with her. He reached back and held her around the neck with the crook of his elbow, twisted and put his other hand into the small of her back. He hummed again and let out another electric pulse directly into her. The two of them were thrown apart in a quick jerk. Beast Boy caught Indigo's flailing figure, but Encore wasn't so lucky. He rolled across the tiled floor and painfully smacked near the door in a sitting position.

"Encore!" Aquagirl ran over to him. He looked up at her with empty, glazed eyes and a think trickle of blood came out of his nose. Aquagirl used his poncho to wipe it away. "Talk to me, Encore! Are you okay?"

Encore blinked and awareness came back into his eyes. He groaned deeply and shivered. His shoulders shook and his fingers spasmed as electrical aftershocks ran through him. "H-holy crap...what the hell was that?" His voice was tight and raspy.

Aquagirl let out a gasp of relief. Then her eyes hardened. "You shocked yourself, you idiot! Don't you have any idea how electricity works?"

"I can hold fireballs in my hand without getting burned. I didn't think physics applied."

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was kneeling over Indigo. Her eyelids fluttered open and her eyes had returned to their 'natural' pink color. "Aw!" Beast Boy mock lamented. "I was hoping to kiss you awake, Sleeping Beauty."

"Beast Boy...what happened?"

"Clint Eastwood's illegitimate son over there shocked you back to normal." Beast Boy told her. "Are you done with the Jekyll and Hyde now?"

Indigo shook her head. "No, it's only a matter of time before they reestablish the connection. I have to go offline before that happens. More importantly, I was able to get a glimpse into their mainframe. The building is rigged to collapse in on itself. There are explosives set up all throughout the sub-levels. You have to find and disarm them."

"W-w-wait!" Beast Boy stammered. "How am I supposed to do that? I have trouble working the toaster!"

"Give me one of the guards' rifles." Indigo told him.

"I know I'm stupid, but that doesn't mean I deserve to be shot!"

"I don't have much time. Now!"

Beast Boy did as he was told. He picked up one of the fallen rifles and handed it to her. The nanotechnology that made up her android body went to work, altering the molecules and properties of the weapon at a nanoscopic level. When she was done, a hand-held device had replaced the weapon. She looked back up Beast Boy and her eyes were already blinking red again.

"This will...he-help...you..." The encroaching red glow left her irises and, instead, were replaced with a cold dark. Her body went limp and Beast Boy gently lowered her head to the floor. He picked up the device she had left him and stared at it anxiously.

TTTTTTTTTT

The tournament's fighters were gathered in the lounge ring as the losers waited for the rewards promised them and the winners waited for their chance to fight. This left the arena's locker rooms dark and empty.

Black Eyes trudged listlessly through the dimness. He shrugged out of his clothes one article at a time, dropped them and left them in his wake as he went. His wooden sword clattered to the linoleum tiled floor with them. He padded into to showers, the floor cool beneath his feet. He put his hand against the wall and leaned forward beneath a shower head.

The first shock of water was cold. Black Eyes jolted and let out a shiver before the heat kicked in. He made the water as hot as he could stand it, trying to make his body as uncomfortable as his thoughts. Steam quickly filled the room and the swordsman tried to lose himself in it.

He was a failure. He knew that. For one exultant moment his life had purpose again, but then it was snatched away from him. He pushed back his long black hair and lifted his face directly into the water stream. The dirt and grime and blood from the fighting washed off his lean, pale body and rolled down him to ultimately disappear down the shower drain. He somehow still felt dirty. He brought up two fingers and felt the hollow of his throat. He could feel it there, just below the surface in his windpipe. Sometimes he wished he could just-

"Funny," a muffled voice ghosted out of the steam behind him. "I remember this thing being sharper in the first round."

Black Eyes looked over his shoulder and saw Geo-Force standing at the edge of the shower in the locker room. He held Black Eyes' weapon in his gloved hands.

"Put that down." Black Eyes growled.

Geo-Force shrugged and put it on the waist high linoleum shelf that separated the two rooms. "We need to talk." He said.

Black Eyes turned his back on him. "Nothing to talk about."

"Oh, yes there is. I know where Terra is." Geo-Force's proclamation got Black Eyes' full attention. Geo-Force put a towel down next to the sword. "Get dressed." He said.

Black Eyes shut off the water and did what he was told. He quickly toweled himself just dry enough to slip back into is clothes. Geo-Force was waiting for him on the other side of the lockers, sitting on a low bench.

"Well?" Black Eyes demanded, cutting through any preamble. "Where is she? Where's Tara?"

Geo-Force clicked the latches of his visor'd helmet and pulled it off. Long gold hair poured out from underneath it and blue eyes met black.

"Here I am." Terra said. "What do you want from me?"

_A/N: All of you but Fallen Dragonfly and Red Phoenix Star suck. Yes, that means YOU. Be shamed before my cold, internet bitterness. SHAMED._


	43. Oct 8: Discontinued

"_He's the new sheriff in town." - Beast Boy_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**At Least It Should Be**_

Crystal had not slept. She spent the night in the comforting, familiar glow of her high-powered laptop computer, though she would be hard-pressed to recall what was on the screen. Her mind had been elsewhere and, try as she might, she was unable to focus.

Jonny was gone. That simple fact colored and skewed her every perception. The empty chair at the supper table stood out starkly. The house was quiet in the evenings, no longer filled with the music of a strumming guitar. Crystal had long since closed Jonny's bedroom door so she wouldn't have to look in at the drab, sterile lifelessness beyond it each time she passed by. There was no one to talk to or walk by the river with. Her cheeks and forehead went without kisses, her hair remained untousled and her shoulders were unhugged. All in all, she missed her brother terribly.

Crystal knew how lucky she was to live there, but all too often the boredom and isolation of the ranch stifled her. She was a child of technology living in the wilderness. Her genius brain craved the wealth of information and experience and stimulation Bluestone Ranch just couldn't provide. Jonny had always been the one to cheer her up, make her laugh and show her the bright side of every situation. Without him, she couldn't help but feel more and more oppressed.

Crystal's bond with her brother was different from the relationships she shared with the rest of her family. While her father loved her and saw to her every need, sometimes it felt as if they lived on different planets. Roy had been born and raised on the ranch. He had been taught all his life to be quiet and to work hard. He had learned the lesson well. Even as the head of the household, he only spoke of important matters. He had no time to discuss philosophy or music or education or feelings. He believed a man who had time for idle talk had time for more productive work elsewhere. The few times Crystal did manage to web him into a conversation that didn't immediately concern the well-being of the ranch or the family, his characteristic stubbornness never allowed him to consider anything beyond his own thinking. It was like talking with a brick wall.

Crystal's mother had the patience of a saint, the humility of a nun and a heart of gold. There was a quiet strength about her and love shone from her face. She believed it was her job to support the family and took that job very seriously. She cooked and cleaned without complaint and always had a friendly ear for anyone who needed it. She was the family's mediator and did her best to keep everyone together. She had seen Jonny's departure as a failure on her part and the sorrow and worry it brought had aged Crystal's mother years in the span of days. Her wrinkles had deepened and she often looked pale and withdrawn. Crystal had tried to talk with her about it, but Marie's faith and optimism refused to let her see any dark outcome. Everything would work out in time. Crystal at once admired her tenacity and sense of responsibility while the more progressive side of her hated her mother's subservient demeanor.

Her brother Tim was always kind to her, but there had always been a distance between them. Tim was several years older than her and had no idea what to do with a little sister. He was big and athletic and always outside working or playing sports while Crystal's domain was inside with books and computers. While Tim wasn't stupid, his brain processed things like an old computer. Once he allowed it to sink in, he knew it, but it took a long time. Crystal's brain, on the other hand, was always many, many steps ahead of him. Any real conversation between them was impossible. Tim would inevitably be left behind and lost before Crystal had even gotten warmed up.

Crystal felt guilty about it, but she always felt disconnected from them. It was something every adopted child felt. No matter how much they were loved by their foster parents, there were gaps in that bond that could never be reached over. The love Crystal shared with Jonny didn't have those gaps. For her, there was no one in the world more important or who understood her they way he did.

Crystal was silent throughout breakfast and slipped outside the moment she was finished. The sky was gray and overcast, though the sun fought valiantly to shine. There was a cool breeze that hovered on the edge of chilly. Crystal did nothing to protect herself from it and allowed herself a shiver. The discomfort somehow fit her mood.

Though she hadn't consciously chosen to do so, Crystal found herself walking down to the river. It had once been a daily routine for her and Jonny to stroll by it after breakfast, but she hadn't been in over a week; not since he had left. The murmuring, thrashing water filled her ears and her sneakers sank into the soft earth. She came across a long, waist-high boulder near a level, calm eddy in the river near a tall waterfall. This was the site where she and Jonny would always stop and talk. She would sit on the boulder with her laptop while Jonny picked up smooth stones and flung them sidearm to skip across the water. In the summertime Crystal would often climb up and dive off the waterfall, but Jonny had never been able to work up the courage to do it himself. Crystal had never understood how a boy so fearless in every other aspect of life could be petrified by a single thing.

Crystal put her computer on the the boulder and walked by the rocky shore. On an impulse, she bent down and picked up a stone. She hefted it in her palm a few times to gauge its weight. Then, in what she thought was a fair recreation of her brother's own technique, she leaned, whipped her arm and threw the rock as hard as she could.

PLOP!

That was it. One unimpressive splash. Not a single skip.

Something about the failure started a chain reaction inside Crystal like the tiny spark that starts a forest fire. She was tired of sighing. She was tired of feeling sad and lonely. All of those blue emotions suddenly turned red. A blind, undirected anger rose up inside her. Everything was unfair. Crystal refused to accept it. The world might have knocked her down, but she wouldn't let it _keep_ her down. The rage boiled up inside her. She snatched up a large, jagged rock, held it over her head and had the irresistible urge to hit something. _Hard._ Her wild eyes fell upon her omnipresent laptop lying meekly on boulder. Her eyes flashed, she grit her teeth and smashed down with the rock again and again and again and again. All of her emotions flooded out as she struck again and again and the process quickly sapped her strength. Her strikes became weaker and weaker until she finally collapsed. She tottered over to a nearby tree, sat down to lean against it and began to cry.

"_K-kiss Melody for me."_ Crystal could hear the hurt and tears in her brother's voice inside her head. _"I l-l-l-love you, C-Crystal."_

That phone call had broken Crystal's heart. There was nothing worse than hearing her brother in such pain so far away that she couldn't help. Jonny needed her and she was nowhere to be found.

Crystal wiped and blinked away her tears and took a deep breath. Through her blurred grief she could see what remained of her beloved computer. It was beaten and broken, smashed into nothing but spare parts. Crystal stared at the pieces for a long time. Little by little, she began to place them together in her mind's eye. Her eyes narrowed in intense thought. Then she hopped to her feet, gathered the pieces of what had once been her laptop and went quickly back towards the ranch.

Maybe it was time for her to get off the sidelines. Maybe she could help Jonny after all.

TTTTTTTTTT

Geo-Force was Terra. The fact was so simple that Black Eyes hated himself for not realizing it earlier. Perhaps he would have had it not been for the red herring that was Rorrim. There is no reason to look for someone you think is already in plain sight. But now, like a slightly off-beat tune balanced by a counter-melody, everything fell into place. Black Eyes gazed into Terra's face; at his reason to live.

"Your Majesty!" He sank down subserviently to one knee and bowed his head respectfully.

Terra had no idea how to react to that. Her eyes were purple in the dark locker room and she blinked them twice with a pair of minor piano notes. "Okay..." She hummed. Then she looked at him sternly. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Black Eyes rose to his feet. "You've been running for so long you've forgotten what it was you were running from."

"I know _exactly_ what I was running from."

"You only think you do." Black Eyes told her. "You've lived the life of a vagabond, right? What do you remember before that?"

"Nothing." Terra said. "I've always been alone."

Black Eyes sighed and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "How much do you know about Markovia?" He finally asked.

"What does that-"

"It's important. Just answer, please."

That made Terra hesitate. Black Eyes didn't look like the type to say 'please' very often. "Not much." She shrugged out the answer. "It's a country in the Middle East, right? They've been fighting a civil war for like forever."

"Ten years, actually." Black Eyes corrected her with a voice dripping with regret. "Almost eleven now. Ever since Zandia's occupation the Markovian people have been fighting to take back their land. They have great heart and little else."

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Terra wanted to know.

"Did you think it was a coincidence that your name is Tara _Markov_ and there's a country called _Markovia?"_

Terra frowned at him and Black Eyes continued on.

"What I'm trying to say is this: You are the long lost heir to the Markovian throne. It is your destiny to lead Markovia against Zandia and the Church of Blood."

"W-W-Wait," Terra gestured and let out a nervous, incredulous laugh. "I can't be some Middle Eastern princess! Just _look_ at me!"

"Queen, actually." Black Eyes said clinically. "Our families are of European descent. They participated in the eleventh century crusades into the Middle East. There are lots of reasons – and excuses – for the campaign, but for our families there was only one: The Church of Blood. Its teachings had begun to cross borders and spread. There was were reports of witchcraft and blood rites. At first it was just in the rural countryside, but when the practices made their way into towns our forebears knew something had to be done."

"Our families' forces met and fought the Church of Blood's army in what's now present-day Markovia. They built a base there that, over the centuries, eventually became your palace. Our ancestors won over the locals and established the country of Markovia. Most of the other European forces attacked the Islamic nations further east and were eventually pushed back into Europe, but our families stayed behind in Markovia."

"Ten years ago," Black Eyes went on. "The Church of Blood attacked again. They stormed the palace with help from metahuman mercenaries. They took over the country in a rout and killed the royal family; everyone except you. You escaped through a secret passage. I can only guess what happened then. You must have somehow been separated from the other escapees. And then you were forced to keep moving because of your unstable powers, right? I'm impressed you were finally able to learn how to control them without proper instruction."

A dark shadow passed over Terra's face. "What do you know about my powers?" She asked him quietly.

"I know you're not some random metahuman or meteor freak or science accident. Your powers have a higher purpose."

Terra opened her mouth to ask what that purpose might be when the echo of the arena's intercom came to them. _"Veil was no match for Red-X!"_ Roulette's voice announced. _"The next match is sure to be much more explosive! Geo-Force vs. Chase! Competitors, please report to tunnels two and five! Bets are now open!"_

"That's your cue." Black Eyes said.

"No," Terra shook her head. "I've done what I've come here to do. I want to hear your story. All of it."

Just then, the door opened and a pair of guards stepped inside. They came in, gave a cursory glance around the dark, empty locker room and left as abruptly as they had appeared. Black Eyes and Terra peeked out from behind a row of lockers when they were gone.

"Maybe this isn't the best place to talk." Black Eyes suggested.

"I know a place." Terra said. "But if my roommate catches you, she'll kill you."

"...I think I can take care of myself."

"You don't know my roommate." Terra smirked. "Let's go."

TTTTTTTTTT

Down in the sub-levels of the arena, Beast Boy stared at the hand-held device Indigo had given him. Indigo lay lifeless next to him. He looked up and found each of the kidnapped metahumans – now freed – looked at him with trusting, expectant eyes. He shook his head and shuddered. He knew he was the leader here; he knew that coming into the whole undercover situation. He thought he could handle it; indeed he he had, back when the Brotherhood of Evil had kidnapped his friends. He had been able to come up with a plan and lead others into executing it. But now everything felt different. He felt like he was in over his head. He had been on an emotional roller coast lately and Rorrim had been the final terrifying drop and loop-de-loop. His thoughts were scattered and he found it hard to focus. So much was going on and he didn't know what to tackle first. He didn't have Robin's leadership qualities or Cyborg's analytic skills or Raven's cold logic or Starfire's boundless hope and exuberance. He was just Beast Boy: The green dude who goofed off and changed into animals. What could he do?

Beast Boy pursed his lips and his brow lowered. He couldn't let himself think that way. There were too many people depending on him. He stood up resolutely and went over to where Aquagirl was tending to her downed cowboy friend. "Is he gonna be all right?" He asked her.

"I think so." Aquagirl said. "The cowpoke just suffered from a bout of stupidity." She cut her eyes at him. "Hopefully it's temporary, but I'm not holding my breath."

The cowboy gave her a sour glance and then looked at Beast Boy. "I'll live." He said. "The name's Encore. How can I help?"

"I'm trying to figure that out." Beast Boy muttered. He looked over his shoulder at the kidnapped metahumans. He lowered his voice so only Aquagirl and Encore could hear. "We got some huge problems here. We have to get these kids and Indigo out of here and she told me there are bombs set up all around here. I don't have a plan yet."

"Why would they want to blow up their own tournament?" Encore wanted to know.

"Why does it matter?" Aquagirl said. "Right now we have other worries. There are three of us and we only need to do two things."

"That's easier said then done." Beast Boy pointed out. "If we rescue these guys we'll be taking away half of their tournament. There are guards everywhere. I don't think they're just gonna let us waltz out of here." He thought. "Okay, this is what we're going to do. I'm gonna take the souped up Game Boy Indigo gave me and track down the explosives. Aquagirl, I'm counting on you to get Indigo and the others out. The Titans will know what to do. And Enclave-"

"Encore," he corrected him.

"Whatever. Aquagirl won't be able to make it out on her own. Do you think you can give her a diversion?"

Encore chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded. "I reckon I can come up with something." He drawled.

"Good," Beast Boy said. "Let's move before they figure out what's up." He stood up and turned to address the others. "We're going to get you out of here." He assured them. "This is Aquagirl, the newest Teen Titan. She and the cowboy here are gonna escort you out to safety."

"Who's he?" Fear flicked his head at Encore.

Beast Boy smirked. "He's the new sheriff in town. Now let's go."

Rorrim, still in the blonde form of Terra, had nearly been forgotten. She still stood in the back of the cell where she had calmly watched the fight with the hacked Indigo and her armored guards and made no move to help either side. "I'm not going anywhere." She declared.

"None of this princess in another castle crap." Beast Boy said. "We're here to save you."

Rorrim folded her arms across her chest. "I don't need to be saved. I _want_ to compete in this tournament. I'm going to show everyone just how strong I am now." Her eyes narrowed. "And if you try to stop me, I'll bring this whole place down on top of us. You know I can."

Beast Boy frowned a fanged frown. Rorrim smirked, morphed into Black Eyes and murked away in a shadowy flash.

"You think she's going to rat us out?" Aquagirl asked.

"Probably not." Beast Boy said. "But we should hurry, anyway." He gripped the device Indigo had given him, turned and ran down the hallway.

Aquagirl looked back at Encore. "Thought up a distraction yet? I'm afraid there aren't any cattle around to stampede."

"_Geo-Force vs Chase has been canceled!"_ Roulette announced over the intercom system. _"Both combatants have failed to show and are eliminated! All bets will be returned! Bets for our next match will have double the payout! Get ready for the elemental cowboy Encore vs. the warrior woman Gladius Girl!"_

"Just popped into my head. I think I can kill two birds with one stone...hopefully." Encore winked. "The staircase we took down here should still be clear. Take the kids there and wait for my distraction. It should give you time to get away."

"W-wait a minute, Tex! How am I supposed to know when you've made your move?" She asked.

"Oh, you'll know."

Aquagirl irritably watched him trot away. "Men!" She grumbled.

TTTTTTTTTT

Marie's face was creased with worry as she washed the lunchtime dishes. Crystal left the house after breakfast and hadn't returned. She was taking Jonny's departure harder than any of them. Try though she might, Marie had been unable to comfort her. She had tried time and time again to assure her daughter that everything would be okay, but Crystal had never been one to operate on pure faith. Her mind worked so much faster than everyone else's. She could think up and see through a million horrible scenarios in her mind's eye that a normal person would never consider. Marie had no idea how to assuage fears she couldn't even comprehend.

The front door opened and closed and Crystal was there

"Crystal!" Marie sighed in relief. "Where have you been?"

"Just working on something." Crystal's voice was preoccupied. She unplugged the microwave on the counter and lifted it with a grunt.

Marie blinked at her. "What are you doing with that?"

"I need it for a few spare parts." Crystal said as she walked by with it in her arms. "Don't worry. I'll give you money to get a new one."

The door opened and closed again.

Marie blinked several times. She quickly dried her hands and went to the door herself. She watched Crystal carry the microwave to the tool shed in the backyard. She curiously followed her and peeked inside. Crystal stood over a workbench with dozens of computer parts. Marie looked on in amazement as she deftly took apart the microwave and pieced the parts together with the others. She put on a pair of goggles and began to weld. Marie opened the door and slowly stepped inside, but Crystal didn't seem to notice. She continued to work. Marie had long known how intelligent her daughter was, but she never knew she was capable of this.

"Crystal," Marie breathed. "What are you doing?"

Crystal barely glanced at her. Her hands continued to work. "What I should have done a long time ago, mom." She took off the goggles and snapped the device she was making onto her forearm. She plugged a modified headset into it and slipped it on her head. When she turned to her mother, the small LED screen over her left eye flashed and lit up. "I'm going to find Jonny."


	44. Oct 8: The OC Fight

"_You did something right, cowpoke." - Aquagirl_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Everyone Loves OC Fights**_

Gladius Girl stood in the shadowy, low-ceiling'd tunnel that led to the arena floor. Her eyes were closed meditatively and she took in deep, even breaths. Her armor shifted and clinked as her shoulders rose and fell. She reached up with one hand and grasped the red crystal pendant around her neck. Her other wrapped around the smooth, cold metal hilt of her short sword.

Battles did not scare her. In fact, they were a reprieve from her true fear. Gladius Girl had been trained to fight ever since she had been strong enough to lift a wooden sword. She loved the competition. The sweat. The adrenaline. The wild exultation of years of work and routine coming together in a graceful dance of skill and violence. It was something that, even for a moment, she could get lost in. Words such as 'fate' and 'destiny' had no meaning on a battlefield. There was only you, your weapon and your opponent. Nothing else mattered. Gladius Girl loved it.

The reinforced door in front of her rose upwards slowly. Light filtered into the tunnel. It started at her feet and languidly climbed her body and glinted off her polished steel armor. She opened her eyes and the light flashed off her speckled green orbs. The woman over the intercom system introduced her, but Gladius Girl wasn't listening. She didn't matter. The warrior stepped forward out of the tunnel and onto the arena floor. The crowd was a dull roar in her ears. Even she couldn't ignore such a loud noise. Even so, she didn't allow it to break her concentration. It was there on the edge of her awareness; nothing but background noise.

The door across from her opened and the man who called himself Encore appeared. He sauntered across the dust-covered arena floor with a strange kind of smooth jerkiness. Like her, he refused to acknowledge the crowd. His eyes were hidden by the dark, round shades that were not connected to his face but were instead a part of the brim of his hat. Even so, Gladius Girl could tell that he never looked away from her. He stopped several feet in front of her and Gladius Girl could feel her pendant grow hot in her hand. She peeked down at it and, sure enough, it was glowing brightly. She tucked it down beneath her breastplate.

Gladius Girl had yet to figure him out. She wanted to dislike him; he was a _man_, after all, but something stopped her. He was self-centered, irrational and greedy. She could feel the deep need to win inside him. And yet, it had nothing to do with pride. He was not a warrior. He had no need to prove himself. Something else was motivating him. He was hiding behind the excuse of rescuing a friend, but Gladius Girl knew that was a lie. He didn't have to win to accomplish that. He was after something else. She had no doubt that it was the prize money. Gladius Girl was somehow disappointed that he was so petty and shallow. Still, there had to be more to him. The pendant couldn't lie, could it?

Gladius Girl drew her sword and fell into a fighting pose. "It's time to test you." She stated coolly.

Encore nodded solemnly and sang a wordless melody. Gladius Girl was surprised a man could produce such a pretty piece of music. He held out out his hands and grabbed a pair of short maces made of pure electricity out of what had once been empty air.

A bell rang out to signify the start of the match, but neither of them moved. They stood planted in place and watched each other carefully.

"..."

"..."

Gladius Girl struck first, slicing down at Encore with her sword. Encore parried with one mace and counterattacked with the other. Gladius Girl blocked with her wrist buckler and grit her teeth as it sparked with electricity. Then she forced him back with a kick to the chest.

Gladius Girl charged in. Encore arced his mace at her. Gladius Girl stepped inside the attack, grabbed his arm and used it as a fulcrum to pull herself up. She backflipped over it and used the momentum to driver her flat, steel boots into his chest. Encore fell on his back and tried to regain his lost air. He dodged Gladius Girl's downward stab. He gripped her wrist to keep her in place and reached up with his legs to scissor her neck. He dragged her down to the ground with him and squeezed her throat between his denim and chapped thighs. Gladius Girl struggled and wriggled, but Encore held tight. Then, laboriously, she climbed to her feet even with him clinging to her. Encore could do nothing but gape at her in disbelief, hanging on desperately as she stood. Then she pivoted, twisted her hips and slung him off her with another display of her superhuman strength. Encore bounced and rolled across the ground.

"You're going to have to do better than that." Gladius Girl murmured.

Encore stood up and unlatched the coil of rope at his belt. He held the coil loosely in his left hand while his right spun the lariat of the lasso over his head. Gladius Girl clicked her wrist buckler and it detached. She grasped the cord that connected to her and whirled it at her side. She waited until Encore let his lasso fly and tossed her buckler like a discus. The buckler flew through the looped lariat and Encore tugged the knot closed around it, making the two ropes one. He jerked hard on his end of the rope, but Gladius Girl remained firmly planted in place. Encore wasn't as lucky when it came Gladius Girl's time to pull. The cowboy was jerked through the air and flew like a missile at her. Gladius Girl reared back her fist to punch him into oblivion, but Encore used a short gust of wind to lower himself at the last second and slid safely between her legs.

Encore caught her with a right hook when she turned around. He looped the rope around her neck as she stumbled and pulled her back in for another one. Gladius Girl retaliated by reached out with one hand and grabbing him by the throat. Encore kicked and struggled, but Gladius Girl held fast. He wrapped the rope around the joint of her elbow and pulled. Her arm bent awkwardly and she released his grip on him. He spun around her, wrapped the rope around her middle. He ducked her turning fist and wrapped the rope around her shoulder. She struckstruckstruck at him while he dodged and wrappedwrappedwrapped. He fell on his back to avoid her double-handed grab, shoved her back with his boots and nipped up to his feet. Encore charged at her, jumped at the last moment and vaulted off her armored shoulders. He flailed through the air and clutched the dangling rope. He lifted his legs, becoming dead weight and falling. Gladius Girl, wrapped up as she was, was suddenly jerked up. She was slingshotted over the beam and them slammed with such tremendous force on the other side that she left a crater.

For a span of several heartbeats, she didn't move. Encore leaned over with his hands on his knees, panting for breath. And then Gladius Girl stirred. She stood up and untangled herself. She reeled in her wrist bracer and clicked it back in place. Then she looked up and smiled a grin at Encore that was as beautiful as it was terrifying.

"That's more like it." She said. "This is going to be fun."

Encore gulped.

Gladius Girl stomped forward. She flipped and sprung forward on her hands, picking up her dropped sword in stride. She slashed down at Encore, who conjured up his electric maces just in time to catch the attack. Even so, it came down with so much force that he was thrust down to one knee. Gladius Girl kneed him in the chin, grabbed the back of his poncho and jerked him down to fall across her waiting other metal-clad knee. She jerked him back up, turned and threw him hard into the outer arena wall.

"You have to be better than this." Gladius Girl told him. "I _need_ you to be better than this."

Encore blinked the glaze away from his eyes. "What do you want from me?" He asked her.

"I want you to _fight!_" She lashed out with her foot and Encore spun away. The concrete he had been leaning against an instant before cracked and a chunk of it crumbled and fell.

Encore rushed back in, aiming one electric mace high and the other low. Gladius Girl vaulted back on one hand, deftly avoiding both and blocking a third strike with her armored shin in the midst of her acrobatics. She landed and uppercutted Encore with the hilt over her sword. Even as he tottered back, Encore flung his maces at the ground at Gladius Girl's feet and they exploded in a burst of static electricity. Gladius Girl braced herself and her armor and buckler protected her from the blast.

When the dust settled, Gladius Girl found she had lost track of Encore. She looked around quickly in a complete circle, but he was gone. She frowned and clutched her sword tighter. It was the click that warned her. She jerked her head up and there he was above her, hanging from the tall steel fence that separated the arena floor from the crowd and aiming a laser pistol down at her.

ZAP!

Gladius Girl deflected the laser blast off her buckler and leaped up after him. He shuffled along the fence to the right and she stabbed through the metal mesh. They hung on it side by side, each of them clutching it with a foot and a hand, leaving their other two limbs free to attack each other. Gladius Girl hacked at him with her sword and Encore fended her off with a dagger of fire. Gladius Girl kicked him hard in the gut and his foot slipped. He hung precariously from the fence with a single hand for a heart-stopping moment before digging his foot in again. Gladius Girl detached her buckler and firmly fitted it between two crossbeams of the fence. Then she swung and slashslashslashed at Encore as she passed him and then slashslashslashed again as her momentum brought her back. Encore dodged and ducked and shuffled along the fence desperately to avoid them all. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized he was unhurt-

-and then gasped as he realized the section of fence he was holding onto had been sheared away. He fell back unceremoniously onto the arena floor. Gladius Girl had dropped down much more competently by the time he had recovered. He thrust the square section of fence he had fallen with at her, but Gladius Girl calmly cleaved it in half.

Encore sweat and grimaced. He held his hands apart in front of him and sang and sang and sang. Gladius Girl watched as a fireball appeared between his palms. It started out small and grew larger and larger. It was impressive as the size of a basketball. It was even more so when it graduated into being a flaming beachball.

"This is more like it." Gladius Girl smirked.

"Laaaaaaaaaa-HAH!"

The fireball suddenly quadrupled in size, larger than the cowboy himself. Encore flung it with all his strength. Gladius Girl stared incredulously at it. She sheathed her sword and used her write hand to brace her buckler. With a shout she slammed the shield into the fireball, redirecting it upwards. It streaked up like a comet and exploded into a rusty crossbeam above them. The crossbeam broke free, swung ponderously over the arena floor and crashed into the protective fence, tearing it down. There were screams and shouts of alarm from the crowd as they scattered away from it.

Gladius Girl's chest heaved from the effort and her face sweat from the heat of the fireball. She squinted suspiciously at Encore. "You meant to do that, didn't you?"

Encore smiled tiredly at her. "You're the one who wanted to have fun. Let's have fun." He turned and ran away from her, his poncho flapping behind him. Gladius Girl gave chase, her white half-cloak fluttering as well. He ran up the crossbeam and leaped into the midst of the crowd. He turned and waiting on Gladius Girl, conjuring a whip of fire in his right hand and whip of electricity in the other.

Gladius Girl jumped down at him. The two of them pivotedpivotedpivoted and spunspunspun around each other, a whirlwind of ponchos and cloaks and electricity and bucklers and fire. The spectators scrambled to get clear as the two of them cut a swatch of destruction through the stands.

TTTTTTTTTT

In the staircase on the outer edge of the arena, Aquagirl crouched hidden with the rescued fighters and cradled the unconscious Indigo. The hallway had been quiet before, with only the footfalls of patrolling guards breaking the silence. Every once in a while she could hear the muted roar of the crowd deeper in the complex. And then, like a tide breaking, that crowd poured in a great wave into the outer hallway in a screaming, frantic mess.

"They're crazy!"

"Get out of the way before they kill us all!"

"What do they think this is? Pro wrestling?"

"Cane Encore!"

Aquagirl turned to the metahuman teens behind her. "Let's go!" She said. "Stay close to me!"

They ran out of the staircase and straight for the exit. The majority of the guards were preoccupied with trying to avoid being trampled by the hectic crowd. Only two of them managed to notice Aquagirl and her band of escapees, but a pair of well placed kicks put them down for the count. Aquagirl crashed a hole through the outer doors and helped the others through it. When they were all safely outside, Aquagirl took one last look back and smirked.

"You did something right, cowpoke."

Then she turned, clutched tighter to Indigo and followed after the group she had liberated.

TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy found the first bomb planted in the arena's boiler room. It was dark, gritty and rusty down there, like a scene straight from a horror movie. The device Indigo had given him led him forward with a series of ever increasing beeps. The bomb was attached to the far side of a long cold furnace. It was a dull, cylindrical canister with a tiny screen that, under different circumstances, could be mistaken for a dozen other electronic devices. Beast Boy knew better.

"Okay, Beast Boy." The changeling whispered to himself. "You've seen a million action movies. They always cut the red wire. Er...or was it blue?" He squinted like an internet meme. "...where the heck are the _wires!"_

The device went to work automatically. Two connectors popped out of the sides, sprang through the air and connected with the bomb. The internal motors of the device whirred and, a moment later, the screen on the bomb flashed 'DISARMED'.

"Huh," Beast Boy's eyelids flickered. "That was easy enough. Tommy Lee Jones has a crappy Irish accent, anyway."

Then he turned and went off in search of the next explosive.

TTTTTTTTTT

In the luxury box above the arena floor, Dr. Pytor Raskov worked at his computer console as the others – Maryse, Druj, Afreet and Seraph - watched the fight below. Red blinking lights and alarm beeps littered the control panel as his old, wrinkled fingers danced across the keyboard.

"What is it, Raskov?" Maryse demanded.

"Lots of bad news." Raskov mumbled. "Lots and lots of bad news..."

"_What is it!"_

Raskov took in a deep breath. "I've lost contact with the android and the metahumans Afreet collected have escaped. Also, the first of C.W's devices were disarmed."

Maryse let out an exasperated sigh. "I should have known better than to use Verilli's men to keep the peace here. They're useless! They best fighters – White Hood, Aquagirl and Geo-Force – all no-show and now this? How am I suppose to have a fighting tournament without _fighters!"_

"This is why I don't like dealing with heroes." Roulette said. "These things always tend to happen. There is a solution, however."

"And that is?"

Roulette smiled. "You skip to the main event."

TTTTTTTTTT

Gladius Girl and Encore continued to fight through the stands. Encore wrapped his fire whip around her throat, but her chain mail coif protected her. She cut the whip in half and her scarf of fire disintegrated. She leaped impossibly high and arced her sword at the top of Encore's skull. Encore held up his electric maces and caught her with a heavy grunt. Gladius Girl balanced herself perfectly where the three weapons met, her body upside down and vertical. Then she shifted, dropped like a stone to her feet and slashed out before Encore could react.

Encore fell back in a spurt of blood, gashed from shoulder to shoulder. He fell back into a seat, half-reclining and in shock. Gladius Girl put the tip of her sword under his chin.

And she suddenly froze. She looked up and past Encore at something beyond him. Encore tried to twist his neck to look, but Gladius Girl's sword point kept him place. He looked closely at Gladius Girl's face, but it was unreadable. She finally nodded at whatever was behind and looked back down at him. She leaned forward until their cheeks nearly touched. "You have the potential to be the person I need you to be. Keep training." Then she sheathed her sword and directed her face skyward. "I forfeit this match!" She shouted. "Encore is the winner!"

She looked back down at Encore and smiled faintly. "That looks like a nasty cut. You should find someone to take care of that."

Through the pain, Encore grimaced out a smile. "T-thank you."

"Just remember this when I ask for your help someday." She told him. She glanced up once more and then she turned and walked away.

Encore painfully turned in his seat to look behind him and follow her line of sight. On the balcony of seats above him, he caught the briefest glimpse of the edge of a white cape disappearing around a corner.


	45. Oct 8: Almost There

"_You'd be surprised what you can live with when it's the only way to hold on to what's important to you." - Daniel_

_**October 8****th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Almost There**_

Aquagirl, Indigo and the metahuman refugees gathered with Cyborg and Starfire in a run-down hotel room two miles to the east of the old arena. Starfire tended to the refugees, checking them for injuries and assuring them that they were now safe. Danny Chase, the youngest of them all, couldn't take his eyes off of her. He watched her every little move in awe until it was his turn to be examined. Starfire knelt down in front of him to somewhat even out their heights.

"Are you all right?" She asked him.

Danny nodded quickly. "Y-y-y-you're St-st-sta." He blushed when he couldn't get it out. He swallowed and tried again. "You're you, aren't you?"

Starfire smiled brightly at him. "Indeed, I am. What is your name?"

"D-Danny." He managed to squeak out.

"I am honored to meet you, Danny."

Danny scuffed his foot on the cheap carpet. "H-honored? I'm nobody."

"I disagree." Starfire told him. "You have been through a traumatic experience at a young age and have emerged unscathed. You are very brave. When I was your age-" She stopped suddenly. Her face creased and a strange, sourceless pain crossed over it.

"Um...Starfire?"

The alien princess smiled wanly without a word and hugged him gently while Danny blushed to the roots of his hair.

Next in line was the tall, broad-shouldered Fear. Starfire hesitated as she looked into his skull-masked face. Fear cleared his throat.

"The metahuman known as Afreet." He said. "Do you know him?"

"...I do." Starfire nodded.

"He is the one who kidnapped us. I thought you should know."

Starfire pondered. "How did you know I would recognize his name?" She asked him.

"I have the power to look into people's minds." Fear told her. "I can see a person's deepest phobia; what frightens them above all else. For Afreet, his greatest fear is you."

"Me?" Starfire blinked. "Why would he-"

"It's like seeing the answers to a pop quiz." Fear said. "I know what people are afraid of. Not why. I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more. I just thought you should know."

Starfire nodded slowly, her eyes far away. "Thank you, friend."

"Friend," Fear let out a short, self-deprecating laugh. "That's a nice conceit."

Meanwhile, Aquagirl had laid Indigo on the bed and Cyborg was examining her. His wrist panel was open and he looked intently at the small screen as he scanned the android from head to toe.

"Then her eyes turned red and she acted like an entirely different person." Aquagirl was explaining. "Electricity seems to knock her out of it, but only temporarily. She said someone was controlling her."

"I should have seen this coming." Cyborg berated himself. "I never worried too much about being hacked; half of my brain is organic. But Indigo is completely electronic. Even if it is alien tech, she's still vulnerable."

Aquagirl looked at him closely. "Are you saying someone wirelessly low-jacked advanced technology from another planet? How is that possible?"

Cyborg frowned. "Not only would you have to be a genius to do that, but you would have to have some formal knowledge of-"

"Gemini." Starfire came over and told them. "They are responsible for this. Everyone here has confirmed they were abducted by Afreet."

"The blindfolded guy with the black daggers?" Aquagirl said. "He could just be a baddie-for-hire."

"I doubt it." Cyborg said. "I think we would have heard of him before now if that was the case." He paused. "Anyway, right not my concern is giving Indigo her free will back."

"How do we do that?" Aquagirl wanted to know.

"The same way you protect your computer from viruses: You put up a firewall." He gripped his left shoulderplate and, with a loud grunt, violently ripped it off with a shower of sparks and electricity.

"Cyborg!" Both Aquagirl and Starfire called out.

"I'm okay." Cyborg said to them. "I just need some material to work with and my lab at Titans Tower is a long commute." His finger changed into a blowtorch and he went to work reshaping the metal.

A black, wavering portal appeared in the corner of the room and Robin and Raven stepped out of it. Starfire and Aquagirl left Cyborg to his work and quickly filled them in.

"Gemini..." Robin murmured when they were done and rubbed his chin. "She certainly has the clout to arrange Roulette's escape from Blackgate. But I don't get it. What would she gain from holding a tournament like this?"

"There are a lot of big-time suits in there." Aquagirl said. "And there's betting for each round. There's no telling how much money they're raking in."

"Her motivation cannot be monetary." Starfire said. "Such profit would be paltry to someone as wealthy as Maryse Gemini."

"Right," Robin agreed. "It must be _something_. Gemini isn't the kind of woman to do something like this just for kicks."

Cyborg finished modifying his detached shoulderplate. Now it was a thin crown, his blue tech evident between two platinum rings. He activated it and the blue tech glowed. He carefully lifted Indigo just enough to put the crown on her head.

"There," he said. "That ought to keep out any more cyberhackers." He opened his chest with a mechanical hiss to reveal his glowing white core.

"_Now_ what are you doing?" Aquagirl asked. "I swear, Gene Roddenberry must be making love to a stormtrooper somewhere or something!"

Cyborg gave her a wyrd look. "BB would bite your head off if he heard you make that joke." He shook it off. "I'm using my power cell to reboot everyone's favorite blue skinned Indian android."

"Does your cell have enough power to run both of you?" Raven asked.

"I'm not really giving her any of my power. It's more like a jump start." Thin cords sprung from his chest, writhing through the air like plant-like tendrils. They plugged into several nearly invisible jacks along Indigo's collarbone and Cyborg's power cell flashed.

Indigo's body jolted with a flinch and she opened her 'naturally' pink eyes. She slowly looked around the crowded room, scanning everyone. "What happened?" She queried.

"You were hacked and you shut down to protect yourself." Cyborg told her. "Aquagirl was able to get your out of there and back here."

"Thank you." She said to her, but then her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Something's wrong...something about before my shut down."

"You don't remember?"

"Processing..." Indigo mumbled. "This alien nanotechnology wasn't meant to-" Her eyes suddenly widened. "The bombs!"

"Don't worry." Aquagirl put her hand on hers. "You warned Beast Boy about them. He's disarming them now with the gizmo you gave him."

"No! You don't understand! I was compromised while linking wirelessly to the Gemini computing system in the arena. I was only able to partially access the data I required before I lost control. Those bombs I sent Beast Boy to disarm were fakes. They're a fail-safe."

Robin leaned forward intently, his cape falling over his shoulders. "A fail-safe for what?" He demanded.

"For the real explosives. Once the decoys have been disarmed, the real bombs will activate. They're designed to collapse the entire arena. Anyone trapped inside will be crushed."

"Contact Beast Boy." Cyborg said quickly. "Tell him to stop disarming those things before-"

"I can't." Indigo said in her electronic voice. "Not while he's using the device. That plus the interference network Gemini already has in place is too much for me to penetrate."

"Then we're going in." Robin decisively punched his palm. "We've sat on the sidelines too long already. Titans, go!"

TTTTTTTTTT

Encore winced. He clutched his gashed chest and limped into main entrance tunnel of the arena floor. He leaned heavily against the wall to rest. He closed his eyes, leaned his head against the rough concrete and breathed shallowly. His chest hurt more and more with each inhale. His blood felt slick and hot under his hand. He lurched over suddenly and emptied the scant contents of his stomach onto the floor.

_You're the strong one, Amber. You always were. What am I doing here?_

Encore reached beneath his poncho and shakily brought out a cigarette and lighter. He stuck the cigarette between his lips and, trembling, raised the lighter. It slipped from his hand a split second before he could light the cigarette tip. He deflated with something that was between a sigh and a groan. And then there was a flickflickflick and the lighter was clicked on in front of him. He leaned forward, lit the cigarette and looked beyond it at the boy holding it. Encore recognized his pale complexion and wavy red hair and green eyes immediately.

"Thanks, Daniel." He said.

Daniel did a double-take. "How do you know-"

"Your sister sent me to bust you out of here." Encore grunted out. "Sweet girl."

"How did she-"

"I'd be happy to fill you in on every little detail, but do you think we can take of _this_ first?" Encore jabbed a finger at the cut across his chest.

"R-right. Sorry." Daniel reached out his hands-

"No!" The woman in the black dress was suddenly behind him. "Don't heal him!"

Daniel hesitated and looked over his shoulder. "What? Why?"

Encore blinked. He looked over Daniel's shoulder and saw nothing. "Why what?"

The woman in the black dress ghosted through Daniel to look closely into Encore's face. The cowboy was ignorant of her presence, but he somehow shivered when she reached up and touched his cheek.

"Charon has no idea what she found." She said.

Daniel ignored her. He reach out again to use his powers.

"No!" The woman in the black dress materialized in a flash. She reached out, grasped Daniel by the shoulder and dug the fingernail of her thumb into the soft spot of his clavicle. He screamed in pain.

Encore had no idea what to think, so he didn't bother. He weakly raised his hand, hummed and blasted the woman with a hastily conjured fireball. The woman in the black dress let out a cry and was forced back. Then she drew herself and stood up tall, apparently unharmed. She stared piercingly into Encore with cold blue eyes. The cowboy couldn't help but shiver again.

"Fine." The woman in the black dress said without emotion in a voice that both Encore and Daniel could hear. "I will allow the game to play out." She smiled coldly. "It could be entertaining to watch, in fact." She looked at Daniel. "I would make friends if I were you. The two of you could be stuck together for a long, long time." Then she faded away and disappeared.

Both boys blinked in bewilderment and then looked at each other.

"What just happened?" Encore wanted to know.

"I...don't know. I can't believe you could hurt her."

"Why couldn't I?"

Daniel silently shook it off and went to work without answering. He grasped Encore's shoulders and his palms glowed white as his powers went into effect. Encore watched in wonder as white light shone through his gash, the wound slowly closed and the pain disappeared. All that was left was his bloodstained poncho. His look of wonder went to one of horror as he saw blood soak through Daniel's shirt as the same gash appeared on his chest.

"Daniel!" He stumbled and Encore caught him before he could fall. Encore lowered him down onto the hard, short stool the guards had so kindly provided him. Encore shimmied out of his poncho and lifted Daniel's shirt to use it to stem the flow of blood, but then the wound was gone. Daniel brought his silver flask up to his lips, but it fell from his weak grasp. He let out a strangled cry, but Encore deftly caught it and quickly handed it to him. Daniel snatched it and gulped desperately. He drank for several long moments and then exhaled lustily. His trembling steadied out and he used his earthenware jar to refill the flask.

Both of them were quiet. Encore stepped back and sat across from him on the floor, leaning against the tunnel wall. He continued to smoke his cigarette while Daniel nursed his flask. The two of them rested, soaking in the melancholy and absurd atmosphere in which both of them were wildly unsuited. Both of them were out of their element and flailing to tread water like a pair of misplaced desperadoes.

"I'm sorry." Encore said at last. "I didn't know your powers worked that way. I shouldn't have-"

"It's what I do." Daniel cut off his apology. "I'm used to the pain. If nothing else, it reminds me that I'm still human, you know? That I still care."

"You're a hell of a lot tougher than me." Encore breathed.

"I doubt it." Daniel said. "You'd be surprised what you can live with when it's the only way to hold on to what's important to you."

Encore exhaled smoke. Daniel sipped at his flask.

"Aren't you a little young to be smoking?"

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

"Touche."

"I'm Encore, by the way. You can call me Jonny, though." The cowboy held out his hand.

Daniel looked at it warily. "I don't do well with handshakes. Don't squeeze to hard."

Encore's grip was loose as they shook hands, but he couldn't mistake seeing Daniel's wince. "Even that little bit?"

"The injuries go away. The pain doesn't. At least, not until it would heal naturally."

Encore thought about it. "But...that cut of mine would have taken months to..."

Daniel nodded soberly. "Anyway, how did you meet Bridget?"

"I caught her trying to steal my guitar, actually."

"Bridget would never-"

"I'm sure she wouldn't." Encore said. "But some sleazy pawn shop owner put her up to it. He told her he wouldn't say where you were unless she brought him something to sell. I can't blame her none for that."

"Dax," Daniel said. "That son of a bitch."

Encore cocked a grin at him. "I see we have the same opinion of him. I kind of convinced him to part with the information as a personal favor. He told me about the tournament here and I promised Bridget I'd come get you."

Several emotions crossed Daniel's face at once. "You made a promise like that to a complete stranger?"

"I have an older brother myself." Encore shrugged. "Not to mention a little sister. I can relate. Either way, I'm afraid I can't say I'm here for totally selfless reasons. The winner of this thing gets quite a bit of cash. I have big plans for that money."

"You don't seem like the greedy type."

"I'd like to think I'm not." Encore blew smoke. "But I made a promise to another little girl before I ever met Bridget. Winning the money is the only way I know how to fulfill it." He put out his cancer stick and stood up. "I'm sorry, Daniel." He said earnestly. "I know we should make a run for it now. It'd be safer for you. But...I can't walk away yet. I hope you understand."

Daniel absorbed that quietly. Then he looked up at him. "Bridget trusted you, Jonny. So do I."

Encore smiled gratefully at him.

TTTTTTTTTT

Beast Boy had already used the device Indigo had given him to disarm several bombs in the arena's sub-levels. The constant beeping of the device led him upwards to an inner ring of concession stands and souvenir stores. The souvenir shop he walked into was trashed. Broken glass crunched under his feet. T-shirts and gaudy foam fingers covered the floor and several shelves were knocked over. Laying atop all of the destruction was Holly, groaning weakly and barely stirring. Beast Boy immediately crouched over her and looked into her scratched and cut face.

"H-hey! Are you okay?" He gently shook her shoulders.

Holly groaned louder and her eyes flickered open. She squinted up at Beast Boy. "Glasses." She said. "Where are my glasses?"

Beast Boy looked around and found them nearby. He handed them to her and she slowly slipped them on. "What happened? Beast Boy asked her.

"Slade happened." She said.

"Slade?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "He's here?"

"He was, at least." Holly sat up and clutched her right side with a grimace. "My cracked rib will testify, if you want."

"What the heck is he doing here?" Beast Boy wondered aloud as he helped Holly to her feet. "A tournament like this isn't really his style."

"I'm still trying to figure that out. It's hard to deduce when you're unconscious." Holly limped over and leaned against the front desk.

"Are you going to be okay?" Beast Boy asked.

"I've had worse." Holly told him. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. Right now I'm chasing down Fat Man."

"You're disarming bombs?"

"No, I'm-" Beast Boy blinked and grinned lopsidedly. "Um...y-yeah. You got that reference?"

"Duh. Who wouldn't?"

The device Beast Boy held interjected by beeping. He followed it behind the desk and found the next bomb strapped beneath it. The device again went to work automatically. Cords jacked into the bomb and promptly disarmed it.

"Ipod apps are getting crazier and crazier." Holly quipped.

"Heheheh. Ipod apps. That's funny."

"You can be overwhelmed by my feminine charms later. Right now we-" Holly stopped. She cocked her head to the side and looked across the room. She gingerly walked over to a fire extinguisher hanging on the far wall. She examined it carefully and then unlatched it from the wall. The extinguisher and the square wooden brace that held it came off as one piece. Behind it was a blinking bundle of plastic explosives tucked into a cutout hollow. "Looks like you missed one, Raiden."

Beast Boy joined her and held up the device to it, but it remained lifeless and cold. The changeling's face scrunched up and he wavewavewaved it through the air to no effect.

"That's not a Wiimote." Holly reminded him.

"Urgh! It's not working!"

"Okay, maybe it _is_ a Wiimote."

"This is no time for jokes, girl! This is serious!" Beast Boy's pupils dilated. "Dude, did I just say that?"

A fleshy, slow clap rang out behind them in a calm, even staccato. Beast Boy and Holly whirled around to see a middle-aged man leaning casually in the doorway. He wore a rich suit not unlike the other high-class betters attending the tournament, but Holly could see the slight bulk beneath it that she identified as body armor.

"So you finally found a real one." The man said in an accent neither Holly nor Beast Boy could place. "I must admit I was hoping you would. Fighting metahumans is always interesting."

"Who are you?" Beast Boy demanded.

"I go by a lot of names." He buffed his nails on his jacket. "Crimson Wolf is likely the most famous."

"Crimson Wolf...!" Holly repeated in a kind of disgusted awe. "Jump City already has a resident terrorist."

"Slade, you mean." Crimson Wolf said. "I hope to meet him someday and find out if he's really as good as they say. Until then, the two of you will have to do." His hand disappeared into his jacket and he brought out his collapsible electric rod. He pushed a button and the weapon extended to its full length.

Holly – her gun lost in her ladder fall - reached into her red coat and slipped a pair of metal knuckles onto her hands. Beast Boy morphed upwards and out into the form of a green gorilla and beat his broad chest with strong fists.

Crimson Wolf smirked and lunged at them.


	46. Oct 8: Tournament Finale

_"I'm starting to understand the whole five versus one thing now." - Spoiler_

_**October 8th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Finally The Tournament Finale**_

Encore and Daniel sat opposite each other in the arena tunnel and chatted amicably with each other. Encore found himself enjoying his company. It was the first time in forever he felt like he was having a normal and pleasant conversation. Not since Kelly had he felt so comfortable with someone. In all the hectic craziness that had somehow become his life, Encore was thankful for this brief respite.

"I'm a painter." Daniel was saying. "Mostly houses and stuff, but that's just to pay the bills. I've sold a few portraits and personal pieces, though."

"If I can win this tournament, maybe I'll have the cash to buy some off you." Encore said. "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like. Think you could paint me a landscape? Maybe a sunset?"

Daniel grinned at him. "Sure can. Maybe I could add-" He was interrupted by the arena's intercom. He went silent as the two of them listened.

_"Your attention please."_ Roulette's voice reverberated in the tunnel and throughout the stadium. _"Due to circumstances beyond our control, the format of the tournament has been changed. All unconcluded bets will be returned. We are happy to present next our last match of the day and our main event! It will be Jump City's greatest champion and future hope, Seraph vs. the best of those that have advanced through today's rounds! Seraph versus the team of Red-X, Spoiler, Rorrim, Encore and White Cloak! And if that's not enough, all winning wagers will net five times their worth! The match will begin in five minutes! All fighters report to your assigned tunnels!"_

Encore and Daniel frowned at each other.

"What's the sudden rush?" Daniel asked. "Why would they fast-forward their tournament like this?"

Encore pondered. "They must know Beast Boy is disarming their bombs." He concluded. "They want to wrap everything up before he finishes."

"What so important about blowing this place up?" Daniel wondered.

"I don't know. I wish I did. I'm more curious about this Seraph guy. I can't imagine anyone being strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with the five of us."

"It could be a woman." Daniel pointed out. "'Seraph' is kind of gender neutral, isn't it?"

"I reckon so." Encore smirked. "It could be worse. It could be a French name."

The two boys snickered at each other. And then they suddenly stopped. Through some kind of collective man-sense, Encore and Daniel craned their necks together to look down the entrance tunnel. They saw Seraph striding confidently towards them. They took in her long blonde hair and her shining blue eyes and her perfect face. She wore aqua-blue gloves and boots and a flowing cape of the same color. She was embraced in a skin-tight white body suit that left absolutely no doubt to her gender. Daniel and Encore suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Seraph stopped before them and looked at the two speechless boys. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Seraph." She told them. Then she looked at Daniel. "I want to thank you, Cure. I've seen how much you've suffered today. This tournament wouldn't have been possible without you. Thank you for your sacrifice." She held out her hand to him. Daniel looked at it and firmly put his own hands behind him.

"Thank me all you want, lady." Daniel said bitterly. "It's not like I had a choice."

"I'm sorry things happened the way they did. We didn't have time to recruit and explain ourselves. What we're doing here is very important." Seraph said it earnestly.

Encore folded his arms across his chest. "You mean kidnapping people and making them fight against their will? Daniel here has a little sister who's depending on him to take care of her. Are you going to tell us this tournament is more important than that?"

"Yes," Seraph said without hesitation. "It is. What we're doing here is for the benefit of Jump City and the world. I know our methods...can be questioned, but you have to faith in us. This is all for the greater good."

"I'm all for the greater good." Encore said skeptically. "But in my experience folks that talk about it have a bad habit of hiding behind it and using it as an excuse for all kinds of unsavory things."

Seraph's face hardened. "My motives are pure. The same can't be said for you and your self-righteousness. You would be surprised what you can learn when you have x-ray vision and super-hearing."

"I'm just here to save Daniel. I promised his sister I'd help."

"Is that so?" Seraph said. "Very well, then. I think we can get through this last match without Cure. Take him and leave. The guards will let you through."

Encore hesitated and glared at Seraph helplessly.

"That's what I thought." Seraph murmured. "You're a good person, Encore. I can see that. But don't let it get ahead of you. There's no such thing as a saint without a past."

"Or a sinner without a future." Encore took in a deep, shuddering breath. "I need that prize money. My _daughter_ needs that prize money. I don't have the means to raise her without it." He deflated shamefully.

Seraph looked at him sympathetically. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "So you're competing here for the greater good, aren't you?"

Encore said nothing.

"I understand." Seraph said. "Compete in this last match, Encore. Do your best and I'll make sure your daughter is taken care of. I'll give you a job that not only will see to your family's financial needs, but will also allow you to help people. Isn't that what you want?"

Encore shivered. Her offer was the same offered to him by Kelly a week ago. Slade had used him up, betrayed him and spit him out. He wouldn't allow himself to be used again. He brusquely shoved Seraph's hand off him. "I just want the prize money. Nothing else." He marched down the tunnel and stood stiffly near the arena door.

Seraph looked at Daniel. "That job offer is for you, too. I'm sure it could help you and your sister."

Daniel drank from his flask. He looked at Seraph evenly. "I already have a job." Then he turned and gingerly walked away to stand beside his new friend.

TTTTTTTTTT

In the ruined souvenir shop on the second floor of the indoor stadium, the terrorist known as Crimson Wolf lunged at Beast Boy. Beast Boy changed into a hummingbird and flitteringly dodged two electric rod strikes. He turned into a thick-bodied boa constrictor and plopped to the floor. He began to wrap around Crimson Wolf's ankles, but the terrorist cartwheeled clear before he could tighten around them. Crimson Wolf aimed his electric rod and shot a bolt of electricity. Beast Boy morphed into an electric eel, absorbed the energy and landed in his humanoid form.

Holly stiffly attacked. She arced several punches with her metal knuckles. Crimson Wolf expertly deflected them and kicked her in the sternum. Holly fell back into the front desk of the store. She let out a sharp scream and collapsed clutching her middle in the fetal position.

Beast Boy bound forward as a green kangaroo. He kicked out with both feet and Crimson Wolf ducked and leaped over the follow up tail whip. Beast Boy changed into a donkey and back-kicked him with his rear hooves.

Beast Boy knelt next to Holly. "You're hurt. Let me handle this goon, okay?"

Holly nodded weakly, though her expression and gritted teeth showed her frustration.

Crimson Wolf had recovered. "You really think you can 'handle' me by yourself? You weren't even able to figure out you were disarming decoys. How would you have felt if you finished 'disarming' them only to be responsible for the destruction of this place?" He reached into his pocket and brought out a thin, cylindrical device. "This is the real trigger. One push of this button and this place becomes rubble."

"I won't let you!" Beast Boy melted down into the tawny bulk of a green lion and pounced.

TTTTTTTTTT

Down on the arena floor, all was ready for the tournament's main event. Seraph stood like a statue in the center of the battlefield. Red-X, Rorrim, Spoiler, Encore and White Cloak stood side by side.

"I don't get it." Rorrim said as Terra. "All of us against her? Really?"

"It's insulting." Red-X said electronically through his skull helmet. He looked at Encore and White Cloak standing next to him. "You two again. We should go on a double date sometime or something."

"No, thanks." Encore drawled. "I'd rather not go out with folks that try to kill me."

"Where's the fun in that?" Spoiler giggled.

White Cloak said nothing.

_"And here we go!"_ Roulette rallied and excited the crowd over the intercom. _"This is your main event! We promise you won't be disappointed! Let the fight commence!"_

Seraph's eyes immediately turned red. Heat vision arced out in a beam and left a long scorched trench in the dirt and forced all five of her opponents to leap back. Then she puffed out her chest and let out a white gale of frost breath. Encore stepped forward, sang and combated the attack with a funnel of fire. The icy blast met roaring flame and pushed and shoved against each other. Encore sweat from the effort, but Seraph looked unperturbed. He began to weaken and the frost breath forced his fire back.

Red-X and Spoiler came to his rescue. Small laser turrets emerged from each of their left wrists. They fired twin plasma beams that joined with Encore's fire. The strengthened heat flashed forward, ate through the white frost breath and engulfed Seraph. When the fire disapated, Seraph stood unharmed. Everyone stared at her.

Rorrim recovered first. She morphed into Beast Boy and used his mutated DNA to change into a tyrannosaurus rex. She lumbered forward and lifted her clawed foot to stomp Seraph into oblivion. Seraph flew up to safety. The dinosaur chased after her, chomping at her with slavering jaws. Seraph flew back, dodging the giant serrated teeth. Rorrim feigned one way and bit another, finally catching Seraph in her jaws. She tried to bite down, but Seraph raised her hands and held her jaws open. She lifted them just enough to slip out. She reared back and punched the dinosaur on top of its barrel-shaped head.

Rorrim was forced into a half-bowed position. White Cloak ran forward, her cloak flapping. She sprinted up Rorrim's thrashing tail and along her reptilian spine. She leaped off her head and dove into Seraph's side. The two of them wrestled and sank like stones. They crashed and cratered into the ground. The stood up, still in each other's grasp. Their fingers interlocked and they shoved against each other in a deadlock.

"Do you really think you're stronger than me?" Seraph grunted out.

White Cloak exerted all her strength. Seraph looked disbelievingly at her trembling arms as she was forced back. Then she sneered and shoved hard. White Cloak was sent flying through the air. She crashed through the protective fence and bulldozed through rows of empty stadium bleachers.

Encore gasped and stared at the destruction. He let out an emotional shout and rushed Seraph. She easily caught his right fist and then the predictable left one. She stretched him out and lifted him up as if he were being crucified. His shoulders strained in their sockets. Encore kicked out with both boots and Seraph dropped him. He put his wrists together and thrust them forward in an electrified tornado. Seraph was tossed back as lightning coarsed through her. She slammed into the fence and was pressed against it.

The wind wasn't strong enough. Seraph planted her feet, lowered her head and leaned into the breeze. Her cape whipped crazily behind her as she stepped through it. Encore grit his teeth and put all of his concentration into it. Seraph slid back several feet, but then she dug in and came forward again. She reached through the strongest of the wind and wrapped her hands around Encore's throat.

"Urk!" The wind stopped immediately when he was lifted up. He kicked his legs, tried to pry into Seraph's grip and struggled for air, but failed on all accounts. Black spots danced in front of his eyes.

Red-X and Spoiler came to his rescue yet again. They streaked in together, one going high and the other low. Red-X launched himself into a diving face punch while Spoiler buried her knee in Seraph's middle. Seraph barely flinched from the attacks, but the distraction was enough for her to drop Encore in the dirt and turn to face them.

"Okay," Spoiler sweatdropped. "I'm starting to understand the whole five versus one thing now. Any ideas?"

"We hit her harder." Red-X said. He flicked his wrists and whirring x-blades came out and spun in place.

Spoiler took his cue and brought out the chakram from beneath her cloak she had used in the opening brawl. She clicked them into two hand-blades, flourished them and stood in a meditative, one-legged pose.

Seraph waited calmly.

"Go!" Red-X shouted. He and Spoiler went on an all-out offensive. They struckstruckstruck with their blades in blurring strikes, but Seraph was faster. She stood planted in place and dodgeddodgeddodged her upper body in a faster blur. Then she struck with two open palms, sliding them both back on their heels.

Rorrim shifted into Terra and her eyes glowed yellow. She thrust up her hands and several stone golems rose up from the ground. Seraph caught the fist of the first one and battered it into crumbling pieces. She flew forward, systematically pummeling the golems into rubble.

Meanwhile, Encore wrestled with himself as he lay in the dirt. He looked at Seraph and then back to the destruction White Cloak had caused whe she had been thrown into the crowd. Not only had she not reentered the fight, but as far as Encore could see, she hadn't moved. She was nowhere to be seen. Red-X, Spoiler and Rorrim regrouped around him. Seraph finished with the golems and landed lightly before them.

"What are you?" Spoiler wanted to know. "Superman's cousin?"

"His daughter, actually." Seraph said cooly.

Red-X and Spoiler exchanged a long look. Rorrim could feel their doubt.

"Wait!" She said. "We can still win this. All I have to do is touch her and absorb her DNA!"

"And her powers?" Spoiler asked.

Rorrim nodded.

"That's the plan, then." Red-X decided. He looked down at Encore. "You with us, cowboy?" But Encore was gone. Red-X swiveled to see him running away across the arena floor in the opposite direction. "You coward!" He called after him.

Seraph swooped in and Red-X, Spoiler and Rorrim scattered before her. Red-X and Spoiler turned dials on their belts and disappeared into thin air. Rorrim changed into Black Eyes, covered herself in reflective murk and turned invisible, too. Seraph looked at the empty air around her.

WHAM! WHAM!

She stumbled from unseen attacks. She squinted her pretty blue eyes and looked around intensely. She dodged quickly and reached out with both hands to grasp solid air. Red-X and Spoiler materialized as Seraph gripped their throats. But then Rorrim leaped on her back from behind and grabbed her face with naked hands. Seraph chokeslammed Red-X and Spoiler into the floor and then tossed them away. She reached up, dislodged Rorrim and flung her, too. Rorrim acrobatically righted herself in midair and came to a blurring stop.

Red-X and Spoiler painfully pulled themselves up.

"Please tell me that was enough." Spoiler said.

Rorrim answered by turning into Seraph. She strode forward and Seraph looked into the real-life mirror. They both punched and superpowered fist met superpowered fist. A round, twisting dome of force emanuated out, kicking up dust. Both Rorrim and Seraph were sent flying back.

On the other side of the arena floor, Encore had climbed the broken fence and into the cratered and uprooted stands.

"Amber! Are you okay?" He started digging through the debris. Several feet further up, a pile of seats shifted and White Cloak emerged.

"I'm okay." She said through her veiled hood. "I just wanted out of the fight. That's not why I'm here."

"You wanted Seraph to throw you out? Why? What are you doing here, Amber?"

White Cloak stood up to her full height. "I'm not Amber." She said strongly. "Stop calling me that."

Muffled gunfire rang out and both of them turned.

TTTTTTTTTT

A green grizzly bear swiped its heavy paws at Crimson Wolf. Crimson Wolf danced away and vaulted up to balance atop one of the many tall shelves of the shop. Beast Boy changed into an orangutan and climbed up after him. He swung his long, hairy arms, but Crimson Wolf jumped away to the next aisle. The orangutan followed after him. Crimson Wolf swung his electric rod. Beast Boy did a one-handed handstand to dodge, pushed himself up and landed as himself in a crouch on the next shelftop. He changed into a broad-winged condor and flapped at Crimson Wolf. His huge talons grabbed the wrist that was holding the explosive trigger. Crimson Wolf fought him off with his rod.

Down on the floor, Holly began to stir. She knew the fall from the ladder Slade had caused had seriously hurt her. Whether her rib was broken or cracked had yet to be determined. All she knew was that she felt as if a knife was jabbed into her side. Even so, she grit her teeth toughly and pushed herself up to her feet on pure willpower. She teetered, tottered and clutched the desk next to her to right herself. She looked up to see Beast Boy and Crimson Wolf fighting atop the aisles. The terrorist slipped behind the TItans and got him in a chokehold using his electric rod as a fulcrum.

Holly stumbled away from the desk and to the nearest shelf. She painfully pushed against it and it shifted ever so slightly. An idea popped inside her head.

"Man, this is going to _hurt_." She muttered to herself. She took several steps back, lowered her shoulder and charged into the shelf like a blitzing linebacker. She screamed and crumpled immediately at the contact, but it had been enough. The aisle tipped over and started a domino effect. It fell into the next shelf and the next and the next like a tide of carpentry and sports memoribilia.

"Beast Boy! Look out!" Holly let out the strangled shout.

Beast Boy changed into a flying squirrel, scampered up Crimson Wolf's arm and jumped off his shoulder, gliding to safety. Crimson Wolf wasn't so lucky. He was stuck atop the shelf when it toppled over. He fell over and hit the ground hard, landing in a heap amongst the shelves. He rolled from the force, pitched over and was thrown out of the broken window. He caught himself with one hand, dangling precariously over open air. He looked down and saw it was a long way to the next level of seating. When he looked back up, Beast Boy was standing over him.

"You...didn't beat me." Crimson Wolf clung to his pride.

"Fine, hold on to your title through disqualification if you want." Beast Boy said. "But I need that trigger. Give it to me and I'll pull you up."

There was a commotion beneath them. Cops poured into the arena, led by Commissioner Walker. The commissioner held a bullhorn. "This is place is set to blow!" He shouted into it. "Everyone out now! Evacuate the building!" His men began to usher out the crowd. On the other side of the arena, the Teen Titans made their entrance.

"Sorry," Crimson Wolf said. "I always fulfill my contracts." He pushed the trigger and the first explosion detonated deep underneath the arena, rocking the building to its core. Crimson Wolf dropped down and rolled to break his fall. Even so, he came up limping heavily as he made his escape. Beast Boy might have chased him down then, but Holly called him from behind.

"Hey, I saved your ass! Come return the favor!"

Another explosion went off above them, raining down debris and ceiling tiles. Beast Boy ran to Holly and knelt beside her. He wormed his head beneath her arm and lifted her up. There was a sudden beeping and both of them looked at the bomb the fire extinguiser had hidden. A red light on it flashed faster and faster and faster. They exhaled hopelessly and stared.

BOOM!

The explosion engulfed the shop in fire, destroying everything. Beast Boy and Holly opened their eyes, however, and found they were unharmed. They were inside a blue spheric force field. Beast Boy looked up through the hole blown into what used to be the roof and gazed into the bluest eyes he had ever seen - the same eyes he had seen in the Gemini Building in what seemed like an eternity ago. Lostgirl stood on a catwalk high above him and amazingly looked him in the eye for the briefest of moments before lowering her head and hugging herself.

Another explosion broke the spell Beast Boy was under. The blue shield around them disappeared and Lostgirl along with it. Beast Boy changed into a horse beneath Holly. She clutched onto his dark green mane and he galloped her to safety.

TTTTTTTTTT

The arena had turned to chaos. There was screaming and shouting from the crowd as Commissioner Walker, Officer Murphy and the other policemen and women evacuated them. Explosions rocked the building every few seconds, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Down on the arena floor, Seraph fought her doppelganger in Rorrim and they caused their own mini-explosions as they attacked each other.

Red-X and Spoiler had enough. They turned and began to flee, but the were stopped when Paingirl leaped from the catwalk high above. She fell, fell, fell and landed sickening in front of them. Spoiler gasped at the horrific sight. The fall would have killed any normal person twice over.

Paingirl wasn't normal. She trembled, shifted and began to move. Her diasteel-enforced bones remained unbroken and the nanotech in her skin protected her muscles. Her numerous scars glowed bright from the kinetic energy of the fall. Her sister Lostgirl floated down on a flat sheet of blue energy and sat atop of it cross-legged, looking at nothing in particular.

Up in the stands with Encore, White Hood leaped atop the twisted railing.

"That's my cue." She said. She grabbed ahold of her her hooded cloak and ripped it off in one sharp jerk.

Encore gasped. Artemis stood before him in all her glory. "Kelly!"

Artemis looked at him, her expression unreadable. Then she reached into the holster on her belt and pulled out a metal handle. She pushed an invisible button and there was a clackclackclack as her bow formed together in her hands. She took the arrow fit down the front of her breastplate, hooked it to the cord in the body of her bow and notched it. She drew back and fired the arrow in the place between Paingirl and Lostgirl and Red-X and Spoiler. She recoiled the cord and zipped down to land beside her two allies.

"Undergrounders, attack!" Artemis and Paingirl stomped together. The ground cracked and tremored and Red-X and Spoiler were thrown away.

Up in the luxury box that hung above it all, Afreet and Druj emerged. Batlike black wings thrust bloodily from Druj's shoulderblades and he flew down like a dark harbinger. His brother Afreet followed him. He disappeared in a swirl of black wisps and reappeared at the top of the stair aisle that the police were using to evacuate the crowd. He used those bodies as reference points in his spirtual eyesight. He jumped up on the handrail and slid down to the arena floor, the ends of his blindfold waving behind him.

Druj landed and swung his giant sword at Artemis. She leaped, landed on the broad blade, took two quick steps down it and kicked him in the face. Druj was catapulted back and she followed after him.

Afreet drew his black daggers, but suddenly found himself incased in a round blue prison. He slashed against it to no avail. He looked through the tinted haze and spied Lostgirl sitting obliviously on her own pillar of energy. He smirked and teleported behind her. He lifted his daggers to strike.

WHAM!

Paingirl caught him with a super-powered punch and he was launched into the air. He teleported, reversed his momentum and used it to kick her in the face. He landed, twirled his daggers and stalked after her.

Robin and the Titans leaped and flew down to the arena floor. Another explosion shook the building and the long catwalk above broke free and swung down at the fleeing crowd.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" Raven caught it with her black telekinesis and manuevered it safely away.

"You have to get out of here!" Robin yelled over the ruckus at the brawling metahumans. "This place is-"

Seraph and Rorrim streaked down like comets and smashed into their midst, leaving a huge debit and sending the Titans in all directions. Aquagirl caught herself on a jet of water and used it to propel herself forward into the fray.

Encore stood up in the bleachers, watching the violence and destruction in disbelief. He somehow felt he was watching everything in slow motion and was somehow detached from it. It wasn't until a slab of concrete broke off from the balcony above him and crashed too close to him for comfort that he was finally brought back to his senses and realized he was forgeting something.

"Daniel!"

He leaped down to the arena floor and ran across it as fast as he could. Seraph and Rorrim flew over his head, exchanging powerful blows. He ran past Robin and Red-X, nearly as much as a mirror as Seraph and Rorrim as they kicked and punched and blocked acrobatically. Encore slid to a stop and swerved sharply to avoid a sonic cannon blast meant for Paingirl. The blast was blocked by a blue shield. Artemis leaped over him and flipped into the Titans' midst. She dodged two elastic strikes from Indigo and slapped her away with her bow. She half-turned into Starfire's flying tackle and the two women battled past Encore.

Encore couldn't keep up anymore. He couldn't understand. There was smoke and swords and telekinesis and water and lasers and explosions all around. He looked determinedly ahead and ran through it all, blocking it out. All he saw was the tunnel entrance where he knew Daniel waited. He drew nearer. He could see his new friend leaning against the wall and trying to balance himself as the building shook and blew apart.

BOOM!

A bomb went off just above the tunnel entrance, blowing it apart and collapsing it into itself.

"No!" Encore shouted. He fell to his knees and dug through the rubble piece by piece. More explosions went off around the building. It was literally falling apart around his ears, but he didn't care. He frantically dug and dug and dug.

Artemis knee'd Starfire in the face and uppercutted her away. She looked up and took in the state of the building. "That's enough!" She shouted. "Undergrounders, let's go!" Paingirl and Lostgirl disengaged from their opponents and joined her. The three girls fled together.

Their escape sank into the others and they knew it was time to go. More and more debris fell and dust billowed up blindly. Holes in the roof appeared and the late afternoon sunlight streamed in, illuminating them. Druj flew and flapped his wings. He swooped down, picked up Afreet and the two of them escaped upwards. Seraph and Rorrim stopped fighting, exchanged a look and then flew up as well.

Robin broke through Red-X defenses and kicked him in his helmeted chin. The Boy Wonder dove after him, but Spoiler bounced off Raven's telekinetic shield and punched him out of the air. She landed and helped Red-X up to his feet.

"Sorry, boys. You'll have to settle this another time." Spoiler clicked Red-X belt and then her own. The two of them flickered into invisibility.

There was an explosion on the upper deck and huge section of it crashed down. Starfire flew up and shouldered it as best she could. "I c-cannot hold it!" She strained.

"Unless we want to be pancakes, we gotta leave now!" Cyborg shouted.

Raven landed and pushed down her hood. "Everyone to me!"

The Titans gathered around her. Starfire slipped out from beneath the falling balcony and joined them.

"Aquagirl!" Raven yelled out. "Hurry!"

Hidden from the Titans by the dust was Encore, still trying to get to Daniel. Aquagirl bit her lip and hesitated. Then she yelled back. "Go without me! I'll be right behind you!"

Raven might have argued, but another section of balcony broke off directly above them and whistled down to crush them. Raven's eyes glowed gray. She enveloped her friends in a black dome and teleported them all to safety just as the concrete and steel crashed down where they had been.

Aquagirl ran to Encore. "Jonny!"

Encore looked at her with teary-eyed gratefulness. "Aquagirl! I need your help. There's-"

"Just give me some water to work with. I'll flush out the rock."

Encore nodded and sang immediately. Water formed in the air above them and Aquagirl took control over it with her aquakinesis. She formed it into a jetstream, let it drop for momentum and slammed the water into the piles of rubble. The jetstream washed it clear and she and Encore moved aside the last remaining bits. Daniel was sprawled inside, shaking and covering his head.

"Daniel!" Encore called.

Daniel looked at him and then at Aquagirl. Aquagirl picked him up and carried him out of the tunnel. "We have to go now!" She shouted over the destruction.

Encore looked around. His vision was clouded by the billows of dust. Every exit he saw was blocked off with rubble. His heart sank in his chest. "We're trapped."

"No, we're not! Up there!" Aquagirl pointed upwards to the opening in the roof. "I know you're scared, but it's the only way! Fly!"

Encore trembled. Fear froze him in place.

"Jonny!" Aquagirl gripped his face and forced him to look at her. "I'm here with you. You can do this!"

A nearby tunnel exploded, washing them with ashes and hot, suffocating wind.

"Jonny!" Daniel said. "We have people counting on us! Let's get out of here!"

Jonny steeled himself and nodded. He grabbed Aquagirl's hand with his right and Daniel's in his left. He sang a quavering melody and wind whipped at them. The funnel lifted them up. They spun upwards, hand in hand. The last bomb beneath the arena floor itself exploded and fire licked up after them as they escaped. They burst out into the last rays of sunlight and swerved to the side before the fire could catch up.

The wind floated them down to the street and they collapsed in a fleshy - but ultimately safe - heap of humanity. Behind them the arena crashed down into itself and a great mushroom of dust and smoke bloomed into the twilight sky.


	47. Oct 8:  Aftermath

_"We're all a little crazy, I think." - Aquagirl_

_**October 8th**_

_**Evening**_

_**Aftermath**_

The old downtown arena was no more. It had been reduced to a giant pile of broken concrete, twisted steel and shattered glass. The block around it looked like a warzone. Police cars, firetrucks and ambulances were lined up unevenly like a young child's toys. Firemen, policemen and ambulance workers milled about with the survivors. The firemen searched the rubble for anyone trapped, the ambulance workers tended to the injured and the policemen questioned those that were not. Several of the people in the crowd had warrants for their arrests. They were promptly handcuffed and put into the back of a police van.

Holly was seated in the back of one of the ambulances without her signature burgandy coat or her white buttonup blouse. She shivered in the cool October air that only grew colder as the sun lowered. She painfully held her hands over her head as a medic wrapped her ribs with thick white gauze. Commissioner Walker leaned against the back of the ambulance, his back turned to her respectfully while he toked on a cigarette.

"We have to stop meeting like this." He said. "Or at least get you some health insurance."

"Are you trying to be funny?" Holly asked him scathingly.

"Not hard enough, apparently."

"Whatever. I'm not talking to you, remember?"

"I remember." Walker said gruffly. "You can avoid my calls all you want, but right now you're stuck with me. What were you doing here?"

"I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque." Holly quipped.

"Cut the shit, Holly. This is a crime scene and you're part of police investigation. Tell me what you know."

"I went to police academy, too." Holly reminded him. "I know how all of this works just as well as you do. Do you really think you're going to make me talk if I don't want to?"

"If you know as much as you say you do, then you know I could bring you in on obstruction." Walker said.

"Don't make threats, old man. We both know you won't arrest me."

They both knew she was right. The commissioner searched for a retort and couldn't find one. He stomped away, cursing at every step.

He passed Encore sitting on the curb of the street. The ragged cowboy looked like death frozen over. He was covered in gray ash and black soot and the front of his poncho showed a large, dirty blood stain. He leaned back and splayed out against the hard sidewalk.

"I think I could sleep for a week." He moaned. He lifted his head up slightly. "I don't reckon ya'll figure the tournament check is in the mail, huh?"

Aquagirl and Daniel sat on either side of him. They exchanged a look and Daniel answered for them. "I'm sorry things went down the way they did. I know you were counting on that money."

Encore let out a long sigh and his lips bounced together. Then he sat up on his elbows. "I'm the one who should be sorry. Seraph was right about one thing: I should have got you out of there the first chance I got." He said.

"Man, don't listen to her." Daniel waved off the apology. "She was just trying to manipulate you."

"Yeah..." Encore hummed. "Why do the pretty ones always have to be evil?"

Daniel sipped from his flask. "I don't know. Maybe because our lives would be a lot less interesting if they weren't."

Encore and Daniel smirked at each other.

"I hate to interrupt this boy talk, but you do remember my name is Aqua_girl_, right?" The aquakinetic with them pointed out archly.

The two boys mumbled an intelligible apology even as they glanced at each other in amusement. That amusement was quickly sucked away when two ambulance workers carried an injured survivor by them on a gourney.

Daniel stood up. "There are a lot of hurt people here. I should help." He said.

Encore nodded slowly. "Just pace yourself, hear? Not even you are tough enough to heal everyone here."

Daniel returned the nod and walked towards the biggest cluster of ambulances.

"And say howdy to your sister for me!" Encore called after him.

Daniel answered with a blind wave.

"You two seem to be getting along." Aquagirl observed.

Encore manfully shrugged off the comment and changed the subject. "Thanks for your help back there." He said to her. "I couldn't have got him out of there without your help."

"Forget it, cowpoke. You helped me, too, remember? A little, at least." She looked at him curiously. "Did you ever find that girl in the white cloak again?'

Encore nodded with a strange mixture of emotion even he couldn't put his finger on. "She wasn't who I thought she was. She never could have been, really. But I swear, when I looked into her hood in the first round, I saw her. I can't explain it. Sometimes I think this city is driving me crazy."

Aquagirl leaned back and looked up speculatively. The sun had nearly disappeared and she was bathed in it's last feeble glows before it returned in the morning. "We're all a little crazy, I think. Sometimes the heart wants something so badly that it tricks the mind. You see what you want to see instead of what's right in front of you."

In his mind's eye, Encore again saw that strange face from his vision that was a strange combination of Kelly, Amber and Aquagirl's features. He could still hear her choral voice in his head. _'Who do you want me to be?'_

"That's a little scary." He found himself saying. "Living in the past like that. Wishing for things that can never be again. I don't want to live like that."

"I don't have any choice but to live in the present. It's all I have." Aquagirl said.

"One thing about the present." Encore reached out and patted her knee. "It always stays the same. The past grows bigger and bigger every day."

Aquagirl squinted her dark eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Encore met her gaze. A moment passed. Aquagirl waited expectantly.

"Hell, I don't know." Encore finally shrugged. "I'm just exhausted."

Aquagirl looked at Encore. Encore looked at Aquagirl. Then they laughed together at their own absurdity.

Across the street, Beast Boy and Cyborg sat together on a bus bench. Beast Boy slumped while Cyborg scanned him with his omni-functional wrist device.

"At least _somebody _can laugh today." Beast Boy said hollowly as he looked at the couple.

Cyborg flicked his human eye at him. "You feeling the blues, little man?"

"I wish I was." Beast Boy said. "At least that would make sense. Right now I just feel numb."

"It's been a long day. You're just tired." Cyborg explained it away.

"It's more than that." Beast Boy shook his head. He breathed "The girl I thought was Terra is just a shapeshifter. It was never her."

Cyborg said nothing. He understood the special relationship his friend had shared with the blonde earth elemental. But then he frowned as several things clicked into place. "Wait," he said. "You checked Terra's cave, didn't you? You said it was empty. If the girl you met is a shapeshifter...where's the real Terra?"

"It doesn't matter."

Cyborg did a double-take. "Say what?"

"If Terra wanted to see us, she would have contacted us." Beast Boy said. "I don't think we're ever going to see her again. Even if we did, it would never be the same as it was before. Things change."

Cyborg looked at his friend's sad, reflective face. "I think you're growing up, Beast Boy. I guess it had to happen sooner or later."

"I would have preferred later. Growing up sucks." Beast Boy scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk in front of the bench. "It's funny. I'm not even thinking of Terra right now."

"What are you thinking about?"

Beast Boy didn't reply. He closed his eyes and rewound his memories. Again he looked up into Lostgirl's blue eyes. The corner of his lip raised hopefully upward. Suddenly he didn't feel quite so numb anymore.

Cyborg's wrist scanner beeped and he examined the readout. "My sensors say the Gemini mutagen is completely out of your system. I'm sorry, man. You won't be able to access your human form again."

"That's okay." Beast Boy told him. "I don't think I need it anymore."

Further down the block, Starfire stood next to Robin as he briefed Commissioner Walker on what they had learned of Gemini's involvement, but the alien princess wasn't listening. She hugged her middle and lost herself in her thoughts.

So much had happened. It was hard to process it all. It started with the strange dreams she was having. In each one she witnessed such horrific things happening to Robin. Since then, Starfire had gone through special pains to be sure he was safe. Robin investigated and found chronotons in the air of her room. Starfire didn't know what it meant, but it made her feel very, very uneasy. For now, however, she could relax. Robin was safe and in the midst of friends and allies.

Still, there was more to ponder. Fear - one of the rescued metahumans - told her back in the hotel room that Afreet was afraid of her. That was something she failed to understand. Yes, she was a proud warrior and a worthy opponent, but she would never truly hurt anyone. Surely Afreet knew this, did he not? Being feared was a new experience for Starfire; one she did not like. It upset her that her mere existance could make another living thing uncomfortable and distraught. She felt guilty through no fault of her own and could think of nothing to change the way Afreet felt about her.

Starfire looked to the side and spied Indigo. The blue-skinned, pink-haired android sat alone atop a broken chunk of concrete. Starfire left Robin and Commissioner Walker to their conversation and walked over to her.

"Are you okay?" She asked her.

"Yes," Indigo answered. "I'm just checking my systems to be sure my hacker didn't leave any dangerous baggage behind."

Now that she was closer, Starfire saw the rainbow text zipping by in an incomprehensibly fast scroll over her pink eyes. "Oh, I see. Should I-"

"No. I'm quite capable of multi-tasking."

Starfire sat down next to her. "We are very grateful for your help today."

"I'm the one that should be grateful. Without Cyborg's help I would still be trapped beneath the Gemini Building. All of you have given me a second chance." Indigo said.

They sat together in silence as Indigo's internal process continued.

"Cyborg tells us you are very intelligent." Starfire said then.

"That's right."

"Indigo, can you think of a reason why someone...would be afraid of me?"

Indigo looked at her and took in her concerned face. "From what I know of you, Starfire, I can't think of any logical explanations. But you must remember that humans are very rarely logical, even if they couch their rationalizations as such, and especially when it comes to their emotions. Perhaps it has to do with your alien origin. Despite Superman's ambassadorship for exterrestials - and yours as well - there are still many people that will continue to fear and hate you for being different. I believe it is a leftover human instinct that is no longer neccesary in civilized society: To be afraid of those things they cannot understand."

"That is very sad." Starfire mourned.

Indigo studied her and could nearly feel the empathy and compassion emanuating from her. "Starfire, I can say with one hundred percent accuracy that there is no logical conclusion for any living thing other than to love you."

Starfire looked at her with filled, wavering green eyes and leaned forward to hug her shoulders. Indigo froze in surprise and then hesitantly returned the show of affection. The text in her eyes came to a sudden stop.

_System analysis complete._

_All functions normal._

_Firewall in place._

_Error: One program missing._

The sun finally tucked itself in and the city turned dark. Streetlights and headlights flipped on. Siren lights gave everyone a strobing red and blue glow. Encore stood up off of the curb he sat on and stretched his tired and sore muscles.

"Well," he drawled. "I reckon I ought to be moseying along home now."

Aquagirl had been waiting for this moment. She looked up at him innocently. "Where do you live?" She asked him.

Encore hadn't been prepared for that. "Um...uh..." He looked left and right. "Over that way a bit." He gestured rather vaguely.

"Oh? What's the address?"

Encore didn't have an answer for her. He looked at her helplessly, unsure of what to say. She stood up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Her dark eyes were very wide and soft when she spoke. "You don't have a home, do you, Jonny?" She said it gently. "That's why the tournament money was so important to you, wasn't it? I should have figured it out when you attacked the catering table. When's the last time you had a decent meal?"

Encore's stubborn pride kicked in. He crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm fine." He insisted petulantly. He hoped that didn't sound as childish to Aquagirl as it did to his own ears.

"Oh, yeah?" The softness went out of Aquagirl and her trademark snarkiness returned. "Where are you going to sleep tonight, cowpoke? A haystack somewhere?"

Encore awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "A friend of mine owns a shop. She let me sleep in the back room last night. I'm hoping the invitation is open again tonight."

"Does this back room have a bed?" She went on when Encore didn't reply. "Okay, that does it. You're coming home with me. You don't have a say, so keep that accent of yours to yourself."

Encore blinked several times. "When you say 'home', do you mean-"

"Right. That giant building in the bay shaped like a 'T'. You can't miss it."

Encore was dumbstruck. "J-just like that?"

"Just like that." Aquagirl smirked.

"But I'm just a stranger to them!" Encore was still trying to wrap his brain around the idea. "What if the other Titans don't like it?"

"Then they'll have to answer to me." A living shadow said behind them. Encore nearly jumped out of his skin, but Aquagirl only looked mildly surprised.

"How long have you been there, Raven?"

"Long enough." The sorceress said calmly. She stepped into the halo of streetlight and faced Encore. "Aquagirl is my friend. I trust her. If she wants to help you, then so do I."

Encore wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it was his weary body and soul. Maybe it was the rollercoaster that was the tournament. Maybe it was the entire crazy week he had spent in Jump City. Maybe it was the feeling of being humbled and cared for. Whatever it was, Encore found his eyes were tearing up. He was suddenly thankful for the darkness and his shades. He coughed brusquely.

"T-thank you." He told them. "So much. Both of you. I promise I'll make it up you somehow. You won't regret this."

A beat. All three of them seemed a little embarassed by his sudden outpouring of gratitude. He cleared his throat. "Well," he said lowly. "I have to go pick up my stuff. Meet you there?"

Aquagirl and Raven nodded at him and he turned and trotted away with more energy and spirit than he'd felt in a long time.

TTTTTTTTTT

Karen had already closed her shop by the time Encore arrived. He could see her through the front window with her plain brown hair tied up in a bun and her thick-rimmed glasses slid low on her nose. The sleeves of her oversized sweater - it engulfed her and nearly reached to her knees - were rolled up in a workman fashion as she swept the aisles with a long-handled broom.

Encore tapped on the front door. Karen looked up, saw him and dropped her broom. She scampered to the door, unlocked it and yanked it open for him before pulling him inside.

"Come in, come in!" She said quickly, her words tumbling over each other. "Don't move. I think I have a first aid kit around here somewhere."

It took Encore a moment to realize why she was so frantic. He was still covered in ash and soot. His clothes were ripped and scorched and there was still the blotchy bloodstain on his poncho.

"Karen! Karen!" He reached out and grabbed her arm. "I'm okay, I promise! I look a lot worse off than I am."

Karen stopped and looked at him suspiciously. It was the first time it registered on Encore just how tall she was. She would be able to look him in the eye if not for her slump. She examined him, taking in his pain-free face and the easy way he stood. The worry left her face to be quickly replaced by irritation. She balled up her fist and whomped him in the arm.

"Don't scare me like that!" She chastised him. "I thought you were really hurt!"

'I am now', Encore wanted to say as he rubbed his sore shoulder, but settled on a quick apology instead. He took off his cowboy hat, along with the shades and the long black wig sewn into it.

"Seriously," Karen said as he followed her to the front of the store. "It looks like you've been dragged through hell and back."

"It feels like it, too." Jonny rubbed the back of his neck.

Karen faced him and hopped up backwards to sit on the front desk. "Well, don't keep me in suspense! What happened?"

So, as best as he could, Jonny gave her the play-by-play of the tournament. He told her about the opening brawl and each of his matches. He recounted his meetings with Gladius Girl and Aquagirl, the fight to free the kidnapped metahumans and finally the ending match that led to a metahuman free-for-all and the roof literally being blown off the arena. Jonny left very little out, though he did gloss over White Cloak's role in everything that occurred.

Karen leaned forward with her elbows on her drawn up knees and her chin balanced on her fists. She listened intently as Jonny told the story. He paced as he told it, gesturing and emphasizing each important word. He acted out many of the fighting moves he described and showed off cuts and bruises from attacks he had taken the brunt of.

The silence in the shop felt significant when he finished telling the story. Karen took an extra moment to absorb it in. Then she smiled at him. "You have a gift for storytelling." She said.

"Nah," Jonny modestly waved off the compliment. "I'm no bard." He plucked the front of his poncho. "I don't reckon you have any more of these things lying around?"

"I put together a spare, just in case." Karen nodded. "If you're going to be a Titan now, though, I'd say you're going to need more than a few extra costumes."

Jonny squinted at her. "Who said anything about being a Titan?"

"You said they invited you to stay at their tower, right? What other reason would they house a superpowered teen like yourself?" Karen said.

Jonny hadn't considered that. The more he thought about it, however, the more it appealed to him. "Encore the Teen Titan." He mused.

Karen didn't have time to comment. The door opened and the bell over it rang out. Jonny turned to see a familiar, long-legged woman in silver armor.

"Gladius Girl!" He made a quick grab for his hat and the heart of his disguise, but then frowned ruefully when he realized it was already too late.

Gladius Girl saw the movement. "Relax," she said. "I don't care about your face, Encore."

"What do you want? Didn't you already test me enough at the tournament?" Jonny said tensely.

"Man is always so arrogant. I'm not here for you, Encore. I'm here for her." She pointed beyond him at Karen.

"M-me?" Karen blinked owlishly.

Jonny stood firmly between Gladius Girl and Karen. "I'm not going to let you hurt her! She's my friend!"

Gladius Girl arced a backhanded slap at him. He ducked beneath it, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge her follow up back elbow. It hit him full in the sternum and he was launched across the store. He plowed into the shelf on the back wall. He fell as plastic jack-o-lanterns bounced and clattered on the floor around him. Stunned, he watched blankly as Gladius Girl approached Karen. She reached beneath her breastplate and brought out the crystal pendant from around her neck. As it did at the tournament, it glowed a bright red in Karen's presence. Gladius Girl said something Jonny's ringing ears couldn't catch.

Jonny pushed himself to his feet, regained his senses and advanced. He hummed and electricity sparked around his fists.

"Wait!" Karen raised her hand to stop him. "She's not going to hurt me." She stopped and suddenly peered deep into his face, looked at Gladius Girl's and then back to his. She frowned thoughtfully. "Your faces." She said. "The shapes of your eyes..."

"What?" Gladius Girl and Jonny asked her in a single voice.

"N-nothing." Karen said. She looked at Gladius Girl and spoke with uncharacteristic strength. "I'm happy with what I'm doing now. I like my life."

"You lie." Gladius GIrl told her. "You only wish you felt that way. I'll be ready to talk again when you decide to cast off this cowardice." She flicked her speckled green eyes at Jonny, turned with a flourish of her half-cape and exited the store.

Both Karen and Jonny stared at the ringing bell that marked her departure. Jonny blinked confusedly. "What just happened?" He wanted to know. "What was she talking about?"

Karen wrung her hands, but her eyes were steady behind her glasses. "I don't know..."


	48. Present: BiShipping

_"What do you mean 'ew'?" - Jonny_

**_Seventeen Years Later_**

**_Morning_**

**_Bi-Shipping_**

"Finally!" Melody burst out. "You've been telling us this story forever and _now _you meet the Titans!" The blonde teen sat next to Yumi at the kitchen table, gesturing exasperatedly as she spoke.

Jonny went back and forth from the stove to the griddle, cooking their breakfast as he continued telling his story. He looked amused by his daughter's complaint. "Would you rather I'd gone to Titans Tower the moment I arrived in the city and just rang the doorbell?"

"That would certainly be cutting to the chase." Melody said.

"A chase isn't very exciting if the people involved have no backstory. How do you know who to root for?" Jonny pointed out.

"But Mr. Johnson," Yumi said. "We know you're the main character of this story. Of course we're going to root for you."

"But should you?" Jonny sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. His eyes were a million miles away in another time and place. "I wasn't a very good superhero, kids, and I was an even worse Teen Titan. Don't let your love for me cloud your judgement." He turned, picked up a spatula and scooped up a pile of pancakes onto a plate. He turned and set it on the table. "Get'em while they're hot. Save some room, though. The eggs and bacon are almost done."

"You're going to make someone a wonderful wife someday, dad." Melody quipped as she forked two pancakes from the pile onto her own plate and reached for the syrup.

Yumi politely allowed her first access. She sat back in her chair, prim and proper, but her face shone with curiousity. "How come you never got remarried, Mr. Johnson?"

Jonny turned and looked at her. The room was suddenly very quiet. The popping of the bacon on the stove sounded abnormally loud.

"S-sorry." Yumi apologized. "I didn't mean to...it's just, it _has_ been seventeen years."

Jonny glanced at Melody who had stopped in the act of tipping over the syrup bottle on her pancakes. "Is this something both of you wonder about?" He asked them.

Yumi and Melody looked at each other. Then they nodded together.

Jonny sighed. He turned off the stove, transferred the eggs and bacon to the table and sat down with them. He bowed his head for a moment. When he lifted his chin, his face was a peculiar mixture of gravity and embarassment. "I've only loved three women in my life." He confessed. "Two of them died."

"W-what about the third one?" Yumi asked him quietly.

"She thinks _I'm_ dead. It's for the best, I reckon." He paused. "We moved up here onto the mountain when Melody was still a baby. Ever since then..." The middle-aged cowboy trailed off and shrugged.

Melody, however, looked stricken. "Are you saying you're alone because of me?"

"No! Of course not!" Jonny assured her quickly. "That's not what I meant at all! I have to stay on this mountain because of something I did. Not because of you."

"What did you do?" Melody wanted to know.

Jonny hesitated. Then, as if to cover it up, he reached out and spooned scrambled eggs onto his plate. "We'll get to it eventually. I wouldn't want to spoil the story." He looked at them both. "Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, I'm having breakfast with my two favorite girls in the world. That's good enough for me."

Yumi looked down and blushed, but Melody smirked and waved her fork. "I'm so going to tell Aunt Raven and Crystal you said that!" She said impishly.

"Your aunts know how special they are to me." Jonny suddenly laughed. "In fact, Raven was almost lover number four."

Melody nearly did a spit-take as she drank a cup of milk. "Say what?"

"Mm-hmm," Jonny hummed as he shoved eggs into his mouth. "Raven and I went on a date once. She never told you?"

_"Say what?"_

Jonny raised a quizzical eyebrow at his daughter. "You do realize Raven isn't _really_ your aunt, right?"

"Yeah, but-!" Melody floundered with the idea. "It's just..._you and Raven?_ Really? That's just...ew!"

Jonny gave her a long, stern look. "What do you mean 'ew'?" His tone was dangerous.

"Hehehe! N-nothing!" Melody tried to let the moment pass by concentrating on her plate, but Jonny continued his glare.

"I think what Melody is trying to say," Yumi interjected tactfully. "Is that you and Raven don't seem very compatiable."

Jonny's gaze switched over to her. Then he looked away and grunted sourly. "Anyway," he finally moved on. "What I was trying to say is this: I never intended to keep you trapped on this mountain forever. This is my prison; not yours."

Melody's blue eyes were suddenly wide. "Y-you mean...we're leaving?"

"When you're ready." Jonny nodded. He took in his daughter's pensive look. "You do want to see the world, don't you?"

"Well, yeah but-" She left the thought unfinshed, but she flashed her eyes at Yumi.

Jonny understood. "We can talk about it later. It's nothing to worry about now." He told them. "On with the story. Where was I?"

"You were about to ring the doorbell at Titans Tower." Melody said cheekily.

"Right, I was about to-wait!" He did a double-take and growled playfully. "Stop trying to confuse me!"

Melody and Yumi giggled.


	49. Veran: Part Four

_**Veran: Part Four**_

_**?**_

_**?**_

Veran stood in an airy loft high up in one of the many buildings in Lus Reafetos. The room was empty and sun soaked with a wide, open balcony that looked out over the city. Veran scanned the room carefully, being sure she didn't overlook anything that could ruin her planned experiment.

"I'm tired." She announced to no one.

She looked around the room and, sure enough, an ornate, four post bed had appeared. Veran walked over to it and slid her hands over the satin sheets, the soft blankets and the fluffy pillows, but it was a largely empty gesture. She had slept in the exact same bed countless times before. There was no doubt that it was real.

But where had it come from? Veran had never questioned it before, but now it burned inside her. She had taken the miracle for granted for so long now. It was time to find out the truth.

"I'm hungry." Veran said.

The bed disappeared and a long, food-laden table took its place. Veran was not surprised. It was the same table that served every meal she had ever had, after all. The food and the smells were no different. Veran racked her brain trying to figure out where the bed and the table and the food had come from.

Perhaps the culprit was none other than herself? The miracles seemed to respond to her thoughts and moods. Who else could know what was going on in her head?

"Hello!" Monoite waved obviously, appearing without warning on the bed. "Did you forget I can read your every little thought?"

Veran looked at the boy with the shades.

"So you're the master of this place?" She asked him.

"I should be, perhaps, but I already told you it's someone else. Or I inferred it, at least. I don't remember." Monoite pursed his lips thoughtfully. "It's funny that the first person you nominated to be god of Lus Reafetos was yourself. Don't worry. You're not the first to make that conclusion. Perhaps in the next realm you would be right. How are we to know? But here you are very much wrong."

The boy stood up and, for no particular reason, began bouncing on the bed.

"The only kind of person who would come to that conclusion would be strong and independent." He went on. "Yet here you rely completely on someone you don't even know. Don't you find that a little wyrd?"

"Weird." Veran corrected him.

"Whatever. I came here to tell you this: There are four of us here in Lus Reafetos. There's me and you and the master and one more. She's the one who can help you regain what you have lost."

"What have I lost?" Veran asked.

"There's no way for you to know until you've got it back." Monoite replied.

"Who is she then? Where do I find her?"

Monoite jumped extra high and landed on his back in a puff of downy feathers.

"If I knew that," he said. "I'd be talking to her right now. Happy hunting."

And he disappeared.


	50. Oct 8: Insomnia

"_I'll be her shadow." - Amber_

_**October 8th**_

_**Night**_

_**Insomnia**_

The size of Titans Tower was decieving. Encore - in a fresh costume Karen had given him - couldn't comprehend how something so large could be so far away. He had returned the old dirt bike he had 'borrowed' from Dax the pawn shop owner that morning before he went to the tournament, so he did what any other citizen would do: He took a bus instead. He ignored the queer looks he got from the few late night riders and got off at the closest stop to the bay. From there he was forced to hoof it.

He had every rite to collapse. The day felt as if it had lasted for months. He was tired, bruised and dirty, both on the outside and the inside. Yet somehow he felt a new strength inside him. It was a runner's high, perhaps, or just a second wind. Whatever it was, it gave him an energy he shouldn't have. He walked with his head held high. In the city the smell of the sea was a tantalizing afterthought. Here in the bay, however, it was sharp and fresh on the breeze; a tangy smell of salt and brine. It filled Encore with a kind of grave wanderlust. He could hear the waves lapping at the shore, creating a soft, rushing melody.

Encore couldn't shrug off the feeling that this was a new beginning. A chapter of his life was closing while another was opening. He felt regret for what he was leaving behind, yet the promise of tomorrow's adventure urged him on. He slowed his pace and craned back his neck. He meandered forward drunkenly as he looked up at the night sky. It felt like the first time in ages that he had seen the stars. It was nowhere near as clear as the Arizona sky, but it was far enough away from the city not to be drowned in smog and florescent ambiance. Titans Tower blocked the moon itself, but the stars were bright.

_In the middle of Bluestone Ranch's back field, an old pickup truck was parked in the dark. On a thick, soft blanket, Jonny and Amber sat on the hood and reclined against the windshield. Jonny had his arm wrapped around Amber's shoulders and their cheeks were pressed together as the gazed upwards. Amber pointed to the sky, tracing shapes in the stars while Jonny tried to guess what they were._

Encore stopped. He put down his black canvas bag and guitar case. Then, with a slow deliberateness, he raised a finger to the sky. He closed one eye in concentration and began to drag his finger from star to star. When he was done, the shape he saw in his mind's eye was the sillouette of a young woman. He gazed up at wistfully. Then his ears began to ring. He watched in blank disbelief as every star in the sky began to gather together like fireflies inside the silouette he had made. They grew brighter and brighter and expanded into a brilliant rainbow of light. He squinted to look at it and, when the glow dimmed enough to see clearly again, he could clearly see Amber in the night sky like some kind of celestial goddess. Encore sweat and trembled as he stared up at the impossibility.

"Hey, cowpoke!" Aquagirl yelled through cupped hands. "You coming or what?" She stood at the foot of Titans Tower nearly one hundred yards away.

Encore shuddered and rubbed his eyes. He looked up again only to be met with a normal night sky. The ringing in his ears subsided. He could no longer be sure exactly what he had seen. He picked up his bag and guitar case and hurried to the tower.

"You sure took your sweet time." Aquagirl told him when he approached. "It's not like you can get lost. You can see this place from anywhere in the city."

"Sorry," Encore rubbed the back of his neck. "Something kind of came up. I had to help Karen clean up and then this place was further out than I thought."

"Karen, huh? That's who you stayed with last night? Well, my place is cooler than hers."

Encore craned his neck up to take in the giant tower behind her. "No arguement here."

"I was going to let you meet everyone, but that was before you were unfashionably late. Everyone's in bed now, so I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Follow me." Aquagirl turned and punched a code into a keypad. The reinforced, vault-like door of Titans Tower opened and allowed them access. The lobby beyond was wide, tall and empty. It felt more like a cave than an actual room in a building. Encore followed Aquagirl across it to the elevator in the back. She again punched in a code and the two of them boarded.

"I want to say it again." Encore said. "I really appreciate this."

"Of course you do." Aquagirl flicked her hair. "Don't worry. I'll think of some way for you to pay me back."

Encore looked at her questioningly. She smirked and ignored him. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into a dimly lit hallway. Encore squinted against it. "Why is it so dark?"

"Titans Tower is always dark at night. Don't ask me why." She led him to a door and, once again, punched in her code. The door slid open to reveal a neat bedroom beyond. It was blandly furnished with forgetable curtains, bed covers and a squat wooden dresser. It felt very much like a motel room. "The bathroom is through there." Aquagirl pointed. "It's got a shower, you know. I suggest you use it."

Encore was immediately self-conscious that it had been several days since he had had a legitimate shower. His skin suddenly felt creepy-crawly. "R-right. Will do."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." Aquagirl left the room and closed the door behind her.

With Aquagirl gone, silence descended down on the room like a heavy blanket. Encore was finally alone with his thoughts. He shuddered. In all honesty, he would rather be in another tournament round. Metahumans were easier to defeat than his own memories and feelings. Still, there was one more thing he could do to occupy himself before he was forced to surrender to his mind. He stripped down, grabbed up his canvas bag and padded into the bathroom. He turned on the spigot, tested the temperature his hand and stepped inside.

Jonny flinched as the water showered over him; not from the heat but from the stinging sensation as the water made contact with the numerous cuts, scrapes and abbrasions that covered his body. He leaned forward, put his palms on either side of the shower head and bowed his head. The wet heat showered his head and cascaded down his back. The water at his feet was tinged with the disturbing rust color that was a mixture of blood and dirt. Jonny stared down at it with equal parts disgust and bemusement.

How had all of this happened? A week ago he had been a cowboy and a musician and a father. Now he was a terrorist turned spartan turned crime-fighter. Before his biggest talent was a knack for staying on a bucking bull or picking a guitar. Now he could fly and shoot fireballs from his hands. Jonny's life was changing so quickly and his mind reeled to keep up. He found himself remembering the events of the last week in a haze of unreality. He almost expected to wake up at any moment back in Arizona. He'd check on Melody, kiss her soft cheek and then find Crystal to let her laugh as he told her his crazy dream.

Jonny washed up and under the showerhead until the water turned cold before finally turning it off and stepping out. He toweled himself off and sorely shimmied into a pair of shorts and an undershirt. He pointedly avoided looking at himself in the mirror as he brushed the filmy grime from his teeth and ran a comb through his hair. He was afraid of what he would - or wouldn't - see. He wanted to tell himself he was overdramatizing, but somehow he couldn't believe. Even if his reflection was true, would he even recognize it?

Jonny sighed and faced the bedroom. His chores were done and so was the day. All there was left now was to sleep. Jonny closed his eyes and exhaled.

_Please, Amber. Please just let me sleep._

TTTtTTTTTT

The second floor office at the Hunter Detective Agency was dimly illuminated by the harsh light of a computer screen. Holly sat before it with a creased, exhausted face. She was somehow able to type, smoke a cigarette and nurse her cracked ribs all at once. On the computer screen was the face of Aquagirl from the picture Holly had taken of her before the first round of the metahuman fighting tournament. She was small and petite, but Holly knew better than to be fooled by those misleading characteristics. She had seen her fight as well or better than any of the other combatants.

Holly moused over the picture, highlighted her face and double-clicked. Another window appeared beside it and faces in the Jump City Criminal Database flashflashflashed by at lightning speeds as it searched for a match. Holly puffed away as she waited and her eyes were drawn to the left picture. Aquagirl had pale, clear skin and a sharp nose Her eyes were large and dark and her bob of hair was just as black. Holly was a little surprised to find fear on her face. Anyone who fought like her and possessed the talents she did had no need to be afraid. And yet she was. Holly frowned in through.

There was a beep and the image search came to a stop.

_Zero Matches Found_

Holly sighed. She reached for the power button of her computer and nearly switched it off, but a sudden thought stopped her. She silently berated herself as she typed again and again double-clicked.

_Running new scan._

_Processing Jump City Criminal Juvenile Database._

Holly flicked ashes disinterestedly on the floor as she waited expectantly.

_Scan complete._

_One Match Found._

Holly studied the file before her. The girl in the file was most definetly Aquagirl, though perhaps a year or so younger. She looked as stoic and dead-eyed as most mug shots. Her hair was slightly longer and a nasty purple bruise sat just under her right eye. Holly's eyeglass'd eyes flicked away from the picture to the dossier information. Her mouth gaped open as she read the name.

"You've got to be shitting me...!" She breathed.

TTTTTTTTTT

It should be easy, Jonny thought. He was exhaused from a day of fighting. He was clean and safe with a roof over his head. All the pieces were in place to allow him to have a good night's sleep. He climbed into bed and covered himself with the nondescript blanket. He shifted, settled into the matress, found a comfortable position and closed his eyes. He breathed slow and deep and welcomed the cool darkness his eyelids provided.

His relaxed, unfocused mind began to drift.

_There was a green field covered by a dark gray sky. Rain poured down in sheets and thudded into the soil. Amber was there, standing in the calf-high grass that swayed and danced in the gusting wind. Her arms were opened wide, her neck was tilted back and her mouth gaped open to catch the rain. Her hair was soaked and her drenched sundress clung to her wetly._

_Then the rain suddenly stopped. The rain clouds disappeared and the sun shone down brightly. Amber's silloutte stretched out behind her like a living thing in and of itself and reached impossibly to the very horizon. She lowered her arms and looked straight ahead and, when she spoke, it was as if she was whispering into Jonny's ear._

_"I'll be her shadow."_

Jonny started awake. He was back in his room in Titans Tower. He shivered and looked around as if he expected someone to be there, but he was alone. He looked at the clock on the small table next to the bed and saw that only a few minutes had passed. Then he stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what to do.

This was nothing new. Ever since Amber's death, sleep had become a rare luxury. Each time Jonny tried to clear his mind and relax, Amber's memory would be there to haunt him. His only respite had been his short stint as an Undergrounder. Lying beside Kelly had somehow soothed him. Jonny missed her, too.

The night was just beginning. Jonny closed his eyes to sleep again, but he already knew it was no use. He was no longer wishing for sleep; now he would settle for simple rest. He put his hands behind his head and sank deeper into the cushions of the couch.

Sleep never came. Each time Jonny felt the sandman's tug and hoped against hope that that he would surrender to it, Amber's memory pulled him back. He lasted an hour before he began to cry. It was a silent, sobless weeping. The sorrow and frustation built up inside him past his breaking point and escaped his eyes. He didn't bother wiping his face and allowed the tears to roll uninpeded down his cheeks.

Jonny suddenly growled deep in his gut. This was pointless. There was no need to torture himself like this. He sat up and put on a brave face. Maybe he just needed to get his mind off of it. He stood up and paced around the room, but he felt like a caged animal. There was only so much room for his suddenly restless spirit. He put on his hat - replete with shades and wig - and walked barefoot out of the room.

The hallway outside was even darker than the bedroom. The shades he was forced to wear to hide his identity didn't help matters. Jonny looked around, mentally marking where his room was. Then he turned right and walked down the hallway.

There was really nothing to see. Darkness, walls and closed doors. Even so, it was better than being trapped in his bed. The hallway twisted and turned and Jonny chose his path at random. At one cross-section he stopped abruptly. He couldn't shed the feeling that he wasn't alone. He hummed under his breath and held up a fireball to illuminate the hallway. Down the hall he saw the faintest glimplse of a blue cloak turn the corner.

"Raven?" He trotted to the corner and peered around it, but there was no one there. Jonny frowned and cast it off to his imagination. He allowed his fireball to dissipate.

He continued his lonely sojourn. He stopped some time later at a door that seemed different than the others. Instead of the flat, sliding variety he had seen so many times before, this seemed a more traditional door with a push bar. Curious, Jonny opened it up and looked inside. He was inside a winding staircase that looped in on itself countless times. He was suddenly reminded of the staircase in the Gemini Building. He had no desire to repeat that. He turned to go back into the hallway, but the door clicked closed. He pulled against it, but the door wouldn't budge.

Jonny's heart sank in his chest. He couldn't have...locked himself out, could he? Panic tried to blossom in his stomach, but he pushed it back down. All he had to do was go up one flight and use the next door. The simple solution was simple. Only it turned out much more complicated when the next door was locked, too. Jonny tredged up the stairs, trying the entry door at each flight, only to find them locked. He grew more and more despondent as he climbed and climbed and climbed. After what seemed an eternity, he reached the top of the staircase and found the last door. Somewhere along the way the process had become routine and he pushed against each door with no real expectation that it would budge, so he was more than a little surprised when the final door gave way. He pushed through excitedly, only to find himself on the roof of Titans Tower.

Jonny wanted to curse and rage, but he couldn't. Even as he raised his arms to emote, he looked up to see the biggest full moon he had ever seen in minute detail. The surface shone whitely like a subtle sun and the gray craters gave it character. Jonny walked forward in a trance, looking up at the fabulous sight. His anger and frustration was ripped away to be replaced with gentle wonder.

"It is beautiful, is it not?"

In any other circumstance, perhaps, Jonny would have jumped in surprise. But under the calming effect of the moon, he simply turned. Standing nearby was a tall woman with streaming red hair and wide green eyes made glorious by the moon's light. Her skin was the color of burnt honey and she wore a lavender costume made of material Jonny couldn't place.

"Yes, it is." Jonny agreed quietly. "It's nice to meet you. Stargirl, right?"

The girl smiled softly at him. "My name is Starfire."

"Oh," Jonny awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"You are forgiven." Starfire said simply. "Your name is Encore, yes? Aquagirl has told us of you. It is we whom should thank you for your help today."

Jonny wasn't sure what to say to that. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"You are most welcome."

Jonny was convinced that he had run across the friendliest person alive. It was so gratifying that it almost made him uncomfortable. He rocked back and forth on his heels and looked up at the moon again. "What are you doing up here so late?" He asked.

"I am much the same as you, I presume." Starfire told him. "I cannot sleep."

"Bad dreams?"

"No," Starfire shook her head. "A dream is sometimes nice and sometimes disturbing, but ultimately harmless when you awaken. It takes something much more to drive you from a comfortable bed."

Jonny breathed in deeply. "Yes, it does." He exhaled.

They glanced at each other and decided nothing more needed to be said. They craned their necks upward again and allowed themselves to be bathed in the moon's light.


	51. Oct 8: Insomnia II

_"Is this a stripper in your cake surprise or here's a gun to the back of your head surprise?" - Rick_

_**October 8th**_

_**Late Night**_

_**Insomnia II**_

It was some time after midnight when Encore and Starfire entered the dimness that was the main room of Titans Tower. Encore entered warily as if he were treading on holy ground, but Starfire went forward confidently.

"I much prefer the company." Encore said. "But I think I could have spent all night looking at that moon. It almost felt like I could reach up and touch it."

"It is a most pleasant sight. It reminds me of Gra'tzie on my home planet." Starfire said.

"Gra'tzie?"

"Terran earthlings would call it a lunar festival. Once every cycle - year, that is - it is possible to see Tammaran's three moons in the sky at once. The middle moon is made of a material much like your Earthern quartz. It reflects the light of our red sun in a brilliant rainbow. It is a time of much rejoicing and celebration." Starfire sighed wistfully at the memory.

"It sounds beautiful." Encore said. He marveled that such a thing could exist and, even more so, that he could be in the prescence of a being that had seen such a miracle. It reminded him of how very little he truly knew.

Starfire smiled. "Raven says looking up too often makes one lose perspective."

"She's very wise, isn't she?"

"Raven? Oh, yes. Very much so."

Encore thought about it. "Well, no one's ever accused me of being a wise man, but I reckon if you don't look up every one in a while it's easy to forget that you're a part of something much greater, you know? It's easy to get lost inside yourself if all you do is stare at your feet." Encore rubbed the back of his neck. "Does that make sense?"

"I believe it does." Starfire nodded.

Encore let out a helpless little laugh that made him sound younger than he already was. "You sure are easy to talk to. Do you know that?"

"I enjoy listening to my friends."

The way Starfire said 'friends' stirred something inside Encore. They had barely met and already this pretty alien girl considered him a friend. He was immediately grateful for the inclusiveness and ease she had openly bestowed upon him.

"Also," she added with a slight flush. "I enjoy hearing your accent."

Encore grinned at her, his teeth flashing in the dark. He was oddly proud of that. He might have said more - most likely with an exaggerated version of his southern drawl - if he hadn't spied the kitchen area out of the corner of his eye. HIs pinched and empty stomach growled at him discontentedly and he realized he hadn't eaten since the tournament.

"Say..." He was already unconsciously leaning that way. "Mind if I have a little something to eat?"

"Of course not." Starfire said generously. "Please, eat all you like."

Encore smirked even as he walked into the kitchen. "Careful what you promise, darlin'. Right now I feel like I could eat half a grocery store." He opened the refrigerator, squinted against the sudden light and leaned down to peer inside.

"If you can consume more than Cyborg," Starfire declared with innocent sarcasm. "Then I shall dine on your hat."

That joke was worded in such a strange way that it took a moment to penetrate. Encore hesitated, let it sink in and then let out an unrestrained giggle. Starfire made him feel like a little kid all over again.

His stomach brought him back to the task at hand. He grabbed a soda, pulled out a plate of what looked like grayish-brown meat and nudged the refrigerator door shut with his hip. He peeled away the clear wrap that covered the plate and picked up a piece of the cylindrical food. He peered at it, took an experimental nibble and then popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm," he said around the food. "This is pretty good. What is it? Some kind of sausage?"

"That is tofu." Starfire told him.

Encore swallowed and considered. Then he shrugged. "It's still good." He decided. He learned against the kitchen counter and reached for another one. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

Starfire sat at the kitchen table and looked up at him. "Hm?"

"You know. The reason you're not asleep right now. I figure you didn't want to talk about, but it wouldn't be polite not to ask."

Starfire sighed. She leaned forward and clasped her hand together. "I...would rather not. I do not believe it will help. Sometimes, at least for a time, you merely wish to forget what worries you most." She looked up at him. "...does that make sense?" She asked in an echo of Encore's earlier question.

Encore smiled gravely at her. "I believe it does." He paused. "Are you feeling sleepy yet?"

Starfire silently shook her head.

"Me, neither." He took a sip from his soda. "How about we zone out in front of a television until our eyes get heavy?"

"Very well." Starfire agreed. She stood up and motioned for him to follow. She sat down on the couch and Encore lowered himself down beside her.

He blinked and looked around the dark room. "Um, so where's the-" Starfire clicked on the television and the cowboy stared up at it in stunned disbelief. "Holy crap on a barbequed biscuit! This is your TV? I thought it was a _frickin' wall!_ It's like two times taller than I am! Crazy!"

Starfire was greatly amused by his reaction. "I am glad you like it." She told him.

The instantly forgettable commercial ended and a late night twenty four hour news network show began. It was a simple set with a long desk and a bluescreen landscape of Jump City at night behind it. A young, curly-haired blonde woman sat behind the desk with three older men in ties and suits. The camera focused in on her perfectly made up face.

_"Welcome back to TBEP News where we always give you the level truth. This is Beyond The Headlines, where the new kid on the block - that's me, Bethany Snow - probes the minds of three of our veteran reporters here at TBEP for their highly educated opinions on current events. Gentlemen, we have to start with the biggest news of the day: The JCPD sting of the underground fighting tournament illegally held in the old Downtown arena. Several arrests were made, but no further details are available. Dozens of injuries were reported but, as of yet, there are no casualties. What do we take away from this?"_

_"I think this that, more than ever, Jump City needs a strong, assertive mayor. Even since the tragic death of former Mayor Amelia Madeline, and sometimes even before, Commissioner David Walker has had free reign to do whatever he pleases! He disregards rules and regulations and protocol at every turn and this impromptu sting is yet another example! He rides the popularity and support for the Teen Titans like a show pony! if it weren't for their support, the commissioner's surly disposition and shady practices would have caused him to fall out of favor years ago! And let's not forget that this sting resulted in the destruction of a city landmark over fifty years old!"_

_"That arena was scheduled for demolition later this year, anyway. You're over dramatizing! Commissioner Walker - while certainly a bad interview - has been a pillar of the community and continues to be so. He's also the first Police Commissioner to openly accept and work with a group of superheroes such as this! Shouldn't he be commemorated for bringing the police force and superheroism together?"_

_"Superheroism is just a euphenism for illegal vigilantism! The Teen Titans, for all the good they've done, answer to no one! And neither does Walker! He hides behind them, I tell you, and acts as unaccountable as they are without the mask!"_

_"Even so, you must admit the results are-"_

Encore made a face as the 'political experts' continued to wrangle with one another. "We were at the tournament. They're not going to tell us anything we don't already know." He pointed out.

Starfire took the hint and used the remote control to turn the channel. She flipped from a cooking show to a courtroom drama through two weight loss commercials and an advert for a medicine to cure erectile dysfunction. She switched again and paused longer than Encore would have liked on a channel that was likely a cheaper alternative to the medicine in the previous advert. Encore held his breath and Starfire finally continued her channel surfing. He blushed and glanced at the alien girl, but she seemed unaffected.

Starfire stopped on a pro wrestling show. The watched as a long-haired man in tights launched himself off the top turnbuckle and drop an elbow on a man in black whom was apparently so beaten that he could not move out of the way of the attack.

"Looky there." Encore perked up. "I haven't seen this in forever. I used to watch this stuff all the time."

"You are no longer a fan of the wrestling?" Starfire asked him.

"Well, Amber never really liked it so I reckon I just eventually-" He stopped himself. He didn't want to open that avenue of conversation. He looked at Starfire. "What about you? Are you a fan?"

"I have seen Cyborg and Beast Boy enjoy it from time to time, though I have no truly given it any attention. Robin tells me it is fake."

"It's no faker than anything else on TV." Encore shrugged.

"I do not understand." Starfire admitted. "They are not truly fighting, correct?"

"True, but neither are martial artists in kung-fu movies. Soldiers in action flicks aren't getting shot. People in romantic films aren't _really_ in love. They're pretending. They're acting."

"That is different." Starfire insisted.

"Oh? Why so?"

Starfire frowned thoughtfully, but couldn't come up with an answer.

"As a matter of fact, wrestlers have it worse." Encore went on. "No one ever watches a movie and says 'that guy isn't really crying. I bet he used eyedrops. That's so fake!'. But turn on pro wrestling and there will always be _somebody_ to quickly point out that they aren't _really_ punching each other and that they're just stomping the ground. Does that seem fair to you?"

"...no, it does not." Starfire said.

"People who view it as a sport are going to be disappointed. But if the accept it as what it is - pure entertainment - the can get more out of it. Think of it as a performance, like a play."

Starfire looked at him, then back at the television. Then she set down the remote control and watched.

TTTTTTTTTT

Rick did a good job of hiding his nervousness, but he could feel it growing in his gut. He had survived so long for one reason and one reason alone: He kept his eyes open. He paid attention. He knew what was happening around him and was always ready to act. Rick was many things: A blind fool was not one of them.

Sammy, Verilli's right-hand man, had quite effectively taken all of that away when he had pulled up in a black, window-tinted SUV that evening and picked him up from his job on the wharf. He refused to tell Rick where they were going and Rick was smart enough to know he was unable to refuse.

Sammy had always made Rick wary and for good reason. He was meant to be intimidating. There was a time when the dark-skinned South American had been considered the greatest hand-to-hand fighter in the world. His curly white hair showed that he was past his prime, but Rick knew he was still extremely dangerous. He was tall and long and had retained his athleticism. The shockwave pulsars in his cuffs more than made up for any physical shortcomings age had brought on. He was dressed sharply in an immaculate blue suit and dark shades made it impossible to know what he was thinking.

The trip was taking a long time. They cruised out of Jump City and left the lights of it far behind. They drove north into the mountains and nighttime forests passed on either side. Rick was out of his element and trapped in ignorance. He didn't like it one bit.

"You're still not going to tell me where we're going?" Rick said.

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Sammy replied.

"I don't like surprises." RIck grumbled. "Especially when I don't know what kind of surprise to expect. Is this a stripper in your cake surprise or here's a gun to the back of your head surprise?"

Sammy suddenly grinned, his teeth white against his brown lips. It didn't make Rick feel any better. "I like you, Rick. I always have."

"...but you're still not going to tell me where we're going, are you?"

"Relax. We're almost there."

"Being relaxed can get you killed." Rick said.

"You're always ready for anything, aren't you, Rick?" Sammy asked him.

"I try to be. It's why I've lived as long as I have."

"Well, trust me: There's no way you'll be ready for what I'm about to show you, so you might as well take it easy. There it is now."

Sammy pulled the SUV off the road and onto a nearly invisible dirt track leading back into the forrest. They went along slowly, the large truck bumping ponderly along the off-road path. Dark, foreboding branches from nearby trees scraped at the windows like skeleton fingers. At the end of the drive was a rickety old shack transplanted straight from a bad horror movie. A single, lonely dim light shone from its front porch.

Sammy and Rick exited the SUV and the wooden stepped creaked loudly as they walked up them. The door squeaked as it was opened and the room beyond was as black as a politican's soul.

"This isn't making me feel any better." Rick said.

"If I was going to kill you, Rick, why would I take the trouble to drive you all the way out here first? Come on." Sammy stepped inside the darkness and Rick reluctantly followed after him. There was a barely audible click as Sammy fumbled with something unseen. The floor lurched and suddenly descended beneath their feet. Harsh florescent lights flashed on and revealed there were quickly being lowered in a glinting, high-tech metal elevator.

"W-where are we going?" Rick asked, reorienting his balance.

"Like I said, I don't want to ruin the surprise."

Even after he realized they were moving, Rick couldn't quite get his stomach under control. "Just how fast are we going?"

"Five hundred miles an hour."

"That's not possible. We'd be slammed against the ceiling if-"

"This elevator has artifical gravity to compensate." Sammy told him.

Rick rubbed his stubbled chin in thought. "What could be so important this far underground?"

Sammy smirked but didn't answer.

A short ding rang out. The elevator stopped and, after a short, mechanical hum, Rick found his stomach again. The double doors slid opened and they were immediately met by a monster. It towered over them with grayish-brown fur and hulking shoulders and a bovine face. Horns curved out from its forehead and its hairy, bipedal feet were hooved. An electronic collar was fastened firmly around its neck. The creature's white on black eyes looked at them hatefully and flicked to glare suspiciously at Rick.

"He's with me." Sammy answered the unasked question. "Let us pass."

The real-life minotaur let out a snort and moved aside.

"What is that thing?" Rick asked once they had passed.

"It's called a wildebeest." Sammy explained. "We found them down here, living in caves throughout the mountains. They formed a community around this place to protect it. But once we beat them back-"

They continued on. The passageway expanded into a huge, well-lit cavern. Dozens of the wildebeests could be seen shuffling along disheartedly at various tasks.

"-we put them to work." Sammy finished.

"They looked pretty strong." Rick said. "I'm guessing those collars have something to do with keeping them in line?"

"Right. There's two failsafes in them. The first is one hell of an electric shock. That's usually enough to calm down the few beligrent ones."

"What's the second failsafe?"

"It explodes." Sammy said flatly. "We try not to use that often. Very messy."

Rick followed along, looking around in amazement. They were walking steadily downwards and the cavern loomed higher and higher. Rick heard the rushing sound long before the ground leveled out, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was until he saw it.

At first glance, it looked like a river of blood. It was nearly a hundred yards across the current was swift with crimson froth. Dozens of wildebeests stood near the shore, turning hydralic levers. Rick knelt down on the rocky shore and peered closely at the strange river.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you." Sammy warned him.

"What is it?" Rick wanted to know.

"It would have been heaven for your friend Jeff. This is Blood Ice."

"Blood Ice?" Rick's eyes went wide. "All of this? Incredible! It's like a river of gold!"

Sammy laughed. "If this was gold we'd lose money."

"This is where Blood Ice comes from?" Rick asked.

"Yes. Every bit of it. This stuff is so deep underground that you could never drill it. This is the only place on earth where it comes close enough to the surface to get to."

"A free drug only Verilli has access to. He could end up ruling the world." Rick stood up, still marveling at the river. "Why are you showing me this?"

"The former overseer here...had an accident. He got addicted to this crap. The boss didn't mind him taking a little off the top - there's plenty to go around, after all - but he started taking more and more until he was no longer reliable. You've seen junkies on the stuff. He was no longer useful to us."

"So you killed him." Rick said. "That's sensible. What does this have to do with me?"

"Like I said, Rick." Sammy pointed out. "You're reliable and you don't take Blood Ice. You're perfect for this job."

Rick frowned at him. "Are you saying-"

"Congratulations, Rick. You just got promoted."

TTTTTTTTTT

On the couch in the main room of Titans Tower, Encore and Starfire continued watching the wrestling show on the big screen television.

"Check this guy out." Encore was explaining. "His leg has been beat on during the whole match. Even now, when he's making his comeback, he's still limping on it. You have to appreciate that attention to detail. The best wrestlers always sell the..." He turned his head to find Starfire had slumped over, curled up against the armrest of the couch and fast asleep. "...leg." He finished quietly. He reached over her, grabbed the remote control and clicked off the television, thrusting the room into black again.

Encore stood up and saw a blanket draped across the back of a futon couch not far away. He grabbed it and laid it over his new alien friend. Starfire shifted slightly, but her eyes remained closed.

Encore wandered around the room, unsure of what to do. The distraction of Starfire and the television was gone now and his thoughts threatened to assault him again. He went to the window - more a glass wall that anything else - and stared across the bay at Jump City. The lights were strangely beautiful. It looked a lot better from up here in his opinion, especially compared to his former viewpoints of it. He preferred the tower view from seeing the city from a hard park bench or from inside a rain-stained phone booth.

The focus of his eyes shifted and he found himself staring at his reflection in the glass. His face was all glasses and hat; the core of the Encore persona. The name 'Encore' still sounded strange to him. He felt like he was in a Halloween costume in the Summertime. He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Starfire was still asleep and removed the disguise. Without the hat, glasses and fake hair, he was just plain old Jonny again. There was something endearing about seeing his own face again, like being reunited with an old friend.

That buzzing in his ears he had almost grown accustomed to by now grew louder. His reflection began to morph before his eyes. He quickly covered his eyes. He didn't want to see it. He couldn't stand the thought of facing Amber's image again. He turned and slid down to a sitting position. He took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He couldn't decide whether he was being haunted or if he was just slowly going crazy. He somehow hoped for the former.

"What are you trying to tell me, Amber?" He whispered.

There was no reply.


	52. Oct 15: One Week Later

_"I hope you're not waiting for a thank you kiss, chrome dome." - Beast Boy_

_**October 15th**_

_**Morning**_

_**One Week Later**_

_Slade has three new soldiers._

_It was only a matter of time, I guess._

_If he's anything like me - and I reluctantly accepted long ago that he is - he's finally realized just how valuable having trusted teammates is._

_There is a difference between us, though._

_He sees his teammates as soldiers._

_My teammates are friends._

It's amazing how quickly a Jump City street can become a battlefield; amazing, and a little scary. What started in one of the innumerable skyscrapers of the Tech District had spilled outside into a video game-esque brawl.

Cyborg grabbed a pair of black and orange Sladebots and smashed their heads together in a sparking shower of spare parts. "Where does Slade find the time to make these things?" He asked over the ambiance of the fight. A Sladebot kicked him in back of the head and he stumbled forward into another's punch. Cyborg shook himself, uprooted a parking meter and used it to bat both of the robots away. They arced across the street and crashed through a hot dog cart. "The dude _really_ needs a hobby!" Cyborg finished his interrupted thought.

"Hah! Slade in a pottery class!" Beast Boy cackled. He punched a Sladebot in the face to little effect, changed into a gorilla and and did so again with grossly different results. Several Sladebots jumped on his broad, hairy back, but Beast Boy twirled and hurled them in all directions.

"Quite amusing!" Starfire smiled. She tossed a glowing green starbolt into a crowd of Sladebots. It burned through several of them until it met one Sladebot who blocked with crossed, metal-gauntleted arms. The force sent him sliding back on his heels, but then he thrust forward and the ball of energy streaked back at its source. Starfire spun, kicked it with her purple booted foot like a soccerball and sent it flying back. The Sladebot tried to block again, but the starbolt burned through his guard and left a smoking hole in his middle.

"He'd just make dozens of sculptures of Robin in his apprentice costume." Raven droned. She gestured gracefully from her levitating position. Black telekinesis picked up a metal mailbox. The mailbox floated quickly and blocked a Sladebot punch aimed at Aquagirl's blind side. Its fist clanged against the metal and then the mailbox slammed into its side.

"That's not funny." Robin frowned even as he blocked and deflected the attacks of two Sladebots at once. He pulled his collapsible staff from his utility belt and extended it to its maximum distance. The two ends pushed the Sladebots back and ultimately crushed them against the two building faces on either side of the street. Robin turned to defend himself from another Sladebot lunging at his back, but Indigo elastically extended her fist and punched him away. Somewhat beyond the blue android, Aquagirl knocked away several Sladebots with a blast of water and Encore took potshots with his laser pistol.

_Aquagirl, Encore and Indigo. Even in the midst of the fight, I can't help but be proud of them. They've come a long way in such a short amount of time._

_I wonder: Did Batman feel this way about me?_

_Does he feel the same way about Red-Robin?_

Indigo picked up the parking meter Cyborg had discarded and her alchemic powers went to work. The meter transmutated into a rocket launcher. Indigo shouldered the weapon and fired at a close-knit crowd of Sladebots. A sudden blue dome of transparent force appeared and absorbed the rocket blast, leaving the Sladebots unharmed. Indigo squinted up at the nearly bald girl hovering above the street on a disc of blue force. The girl's hands were clasped and she looked down into her lap, seemingly unaware of the fight going on beneath her. Indigo reloaded her rocket launcher and aimed up at her.

"No!" A dark-haired girl threw herself into Indigo's side. The rocket launcher clattered to the street and the two girls rolled and grappled with each other. They rose to their feet, still locked together. Indigo shoved with her stretchy arms and slammed her opponent into a buildingside. The girl's back and head bounced painfully off the hard surface and the scars on her face and exposed skin glowed blue. She pried Indigo's hands off her and retaliated with a superpowered uppercut.

Indigo spiraled through the air and over Encore's head. The cowboy pointed and sang a quick tune and Indigo was caught by a curtain of wind. She slid down it to the street beside him.

"Thank you." She told him.

"Don't mention i-ack!"

Artemis slammed both fists into the ground and a cracking tremor zigzagged at them. The street buckled up between Indigo and Encore and they were flung in opposite directions. The archer might have advanced on them, but Aquagirl was there to cover them with water blasts. Artemis ran and flipped and acrobatically dodged.

_All three of Slade's new apprentices are girls. Maybe there's something significant in that._

_Maybe not._

_They've been trained to fight together as a group and they do it well. Somehow I know Slade isn't proud of them. He only feels pride in himself._

Artemis leaped behind a car parked on the curb. At first it seemed she would use it as cover, but then she lifted it over head and chucked it at Aquagirl. Encore dove into her side and the two of them rolled beneath the car just before it smashed into the road. They rolled to a stop and Artemis watched the two of them lying on top each other from behind her pointed eyemask. She notched her single tethered arrow into her bow, pulled back and aimed at Encore and Aquagirl. Cyborg charged at her from behind.

"Lostgirl, now!" Artemis shouted without looking. A blue transparent wall appeared behind Artemis and Cyborg crashed headlong into it.

Encore, still on top of Aquagirl, looked up and saw he was in Artemis' sights. Artemis grit her teeth and made a clicking sound of frustration. She aimed to the side and let her arrow fly.

"Eek!" Starfire caught the arrow by its shaft with its head inches from her nose.

Artemis hit the retraction mechanism on her bow and launched herself on the makeshift zipline at Starfire. Starfire powered up a starbolt and braced herself for the impact. They came together in an explosion that engulfed them both. They burst out of the resulting smoke cloud, dodging and exchanging superpowered blows.

_Artemis is their leader. There's no doubt about that. She's the strongest and boldest of them. She's the one that holds the group together; the one that gives the orders._

_'Undergrounders, go!' doesn't have the same ring to it._

Paingirl kicked down a telephone pole at its base, caught it and swung it again and again at Robin as if it were a giant baseball bat. He leaped and ducked and cartwheeled around her wide swipes. The swings became slower and slower until finally the blue faded from her scars. The telephone pole, now too heavy to hold, slipped from her grasp and thudded against the ground.

Robin ran along the pole, his cape flapping, and kicked hard with his steel-enlaced boot. Paingirl made no attempt to dodge and took the full brunt of the blow on her chin. Her head was whipped back and Robin followed up with a spinning staff strike. Paingirl was flung back and crashed into the side of a car. Her scars glowed blue again. She lifted the car over her head and slammed it down at Robin as if it was a giant fly swatter. Robin nimbly jumped back to safety, but the shockwave shoved him into an airborne spin.

_Then there's Paingirl and there's no better name for her. We've run into energy absorptionists before. Overload can absorb electrical energy. Plasmus can absorb radiation from toxic sludge. Dr. Light absorbs his namesake._

_But Paingirl absorbs kinetic energy. There's something intimidating - and frustrating - about fighting an opponent that grows stronger the more you beat on them._

Encore was fighting off several sladebots with a whip of electricity when he suddenly found himself trapped in a transparent blue ball of solid force. He pushed against its curved walls, but his prison remained firm. Aquagirl saw her teammate trapped and aimed a thick jet of water up at wear Lostgirl sat on her floating blue disc. A sharply angled force field appeared before her, cutting the stream of water in half and diverting it harmlessly to either side.

Back in his hamster ball of doom, Encore began humming the now familiar tune to bring his powers to bear. The song cut off into a surprised yelp when one of the sladebots kicked the round force field around him and sent it rolling down the street. The ball clanked into a lamppost, bounced off and pinballed between several parked cars. The crazy ride was finally stopped by a giant black hand. The blue sphere cracked under the squeezing hand and fell away into nothingness.

Now free, Encore blinked dizzily as multicolored Ravens mambo'd along the brim of his hat. "...t-thanks..." He slurred.

Beast Boy cleared a space around him with a kangaroo tail whip, changed into a green-feathered hawk and flapped into the air. He circled around where Lostgirl floated. He changed back to his elven form and perched ferally with crossed-wrists on a nearby roof edge.

"Lostgirl!" He called. "What are you doing?"

Lostgirl ignored him and kept her head down, fidgeting with the silver cross necklace in her hands.

"It's me, Beast Boy! You know, the green dude you saved last week?"

Lostgirl turned her head and peeked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"That's right!" Beast Boy nodded encouragingly. "You remember!"

The blue nimbus Lostgirl sat on floated closer to him.

"Thanks for saving my butt," Beast Boy said. He tried and failed to meet her eyes "What are you doing with Slade? Why were you at the Gemini Building?"

The blonde-scalped girl said nothing, but she leaned towards the sound of his voice. She hesitantly began to raise her chin.

_And the third of them is Lostgirl. She's the hardest of them to analyze. Even in the middle of a fight, she looks detached from everything; as if she isn't even paying attention. Yet those force fields of hers always show up exactly where they're most needed._

_Beast Boy says he saw her at the Gemini Building during the break-in by Slade's robots and that she saved him and Holly on the day of the metahuman tournament. What's her connection to Gemini? Why did she save Beast Boy? I don't know what it all means yet._

_But I will._

On the street below, Paingirl hefted a car and heaved it up at Beast Boy. Her aim was slightly low and the automobile crashed into the building just below his perch. The shockwave knocked him off balance and he and the car fell back towards the hard street below. Cyborg stomped along the sidewalk and punched the car away with a heavy metal fist. Beast Boy found himself on a spiraling waterslide courtesy of Aquagirl to slow his descent and Cyborg caught him in a cradle.

"I hope you're not waiting for a thank you kiss, chrome dome." Beast Boy quipped.

"Maybe next time, grass stain." Cyborg unceremoniously dropped him on his rear.

Artemis caught Starfire by the ankle and spun her around and around and around. She let to and the momentum meteor'd Starfire into eighth, ninth and tenth floor of an office building. Pounds of shattered glass rained down to the street.

"Starfire!" Robin shouted. He shot his grappling hook and ziplined up towards the hole Starfire's impact had made. He swivled as he was jerked through the air and flung a trio of red and yellow birdarangs down at Artemis. Artemis raised her arrow, twirled it in her fingers until it was a blurring, circular shield and deflected all three. Then she notched it into her bow and let it fly. The arrow sailed over Robin and sheared his zipcord in half just before he reached the hole in the building.

Robin fell, slipping and tumbling through empty space. He took several more birdarangs from his utility belt and interlocked them together into two thin-bladed short swords. He stabbed both into the building face, slowing his descent in a shower of glass and mortar. He came to a jerky stop around the third floor, relatively unharmed.

And also a sitting target.

Artemis tore the door off a parked car and frisbee'd it up at him. Robin dropped down to avoid it and stabbed his swords into the building to stop himself again. He dodged the second door and four tires in rapid succession, mountain climbing like a handicapped spider across the building face. He felt the rush of wind as the trunk of the car sheared by him at super speed and nearly missed his lunge. He hung precariously from the hilt of one sword while the other slipped from his hand. He watched it fall, clink off the builiding face into a lazy spin and clatter against the hard ground below.

Artemis hefted the gas tank from what was left of the dismantled car and launched it up at him. She shot her bow and her roped arrow chased after it even faster. The arrow head sprayed sparks across the makeshift bomb. The whites of Robin's eye mask shrank to pinpricks.

A pair of elongated blue arms tentacle'd up, grabbed the gas tank and tossed it back down at Artemis. The dark-skinned archer turned away to protect her face, but the explosion flung her away like a rag doll.

Robin watched breathlessly as he hung from the building.

_Yeah._

_Really proud._


	53. Oct 8 14: Indigo's Montage

_"I'm sure you'd be just as sexy if mutant ghost pirates ripped off __**your **__shirt!" - Aquagirl_

_**October 8th - 14th**_

_**Indigo's Montage**_

_Some people mistakenly - or jokingly - call Cyborg a robot. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, most of his body is made up of robotics, but much of his organic material remains. Even more than that, if it is our feelings that make us human, Cyborg is the most human of us all. Not only is he an emotional person, but all of his emotions are big. When he gets mad, he gets __**really**__ mad. When he's happy, he's on top of the world. Cyborg might have electronic parts, but he is irrefutably human._

_Indigo is not so easily classified. She has no flesh or blood or bone, but she was made using the brainwaves of a genius human girl. Even she has questions about what and who she is._

_Don't we all?_

In the training room of Titans Tower, Aquagirl ran barefoot on a treadmill. A thin sheet of water moved back and forth through her to keep her hydrated. Not far away, Encore beat upon a punching bag. Robin worked out nearby, handstanding and flipping on a pommel horse like the acrobat he was.

On the far side of the room, Indigo sat crosslegged in front of a large mirror. Beside her, sitting identically, was Raven.

"Clear your mind." Raven instructed. "Quiet your unproductive thoughts."

"Done." Indigo nodded.

Raven did a double-take. "...Done?"

"My brain is a computer." Indigo reminded her. "I have complete control over it."

"Right." Raven hummed. "Now, focus deep inside you. Concentrate on your soul-self."

"Soul-self?"

"Your spirit." Raven said. "Your soul. The living essence of what you are."

"I do not know if I am capable of such." Indigo said. "This is a mechanical body. Would not my soul-self remain in my human body beneath the Gemini Building?"

Raven considered gravely. "The spirit is a tricky thing." She said at last. "It's tied to the person more than to a person's flesh. Now, regain your focus."

Indigo nodded. She looked back at the mirror again.

"Picture yourself in your mind." Raven said. "Your human self. Remember the color of your hair; the shape of your eyes. Even the feel of wind on your skin. Focus on every detail."

Indigo's brow creased in concentration.

"Now, look in the mirror and see what it is you see in your mind. Embrace your memory and make it imagination."

Indigo stared into her reflection. Slowly, a bit at a time, Indigo began to change. Her red hair grew longer and turned dark. Her large pink eyes shrank and became a warm, honey color. Her blue skin shifted and began to undulate.

"Good." Raven said. "Finish it. Lock it in place."

But that was as far as the transformation went. Indigo flinched and the changing stopped. Her hair shortened and became red. Her eyes glowed pink again.

"I cannot." Indigo said.

"You just need more practice." Raven said. "Try again."

Indigo nodded slowly and stared into her reflection again.

_Indigo is potentially the strongest of our three new recruits._

_Potentially._

_Her nanotech body can repair itself and - theoretically - change into any shape. She's proficient at elongating her limbs, but more complicated changes frustrate her. Again, I can't help but wonder if it is a lack of imagination. She should - again, theoretically - be able to mimic anyone and anything. Her limbs, like Clayface or Plasmus, should be able to change into any shape._

_Then again, Superman should be able to move fast enough to reverse the Earth's rotation and turn back time._

_In theory._

_The ability that comes easiest to Indigo, amazingly, is atom manipulation. The alien nanotech that makes up her body can break down material at the molecular level and rebuild them as something else entirely. She can change lead into gold or water into wine, but she has trouble transforming her arm into a giant axe or changing the color of her skin from blue._

_I'll never understand the mind of genius._

Outside of Titans Tower on a sandy, rocky landscape, Robin and Raven stood at a waist-high control panel. A large digital clock ticked down to zero behind them.

"Go!" Robin shouted.

Indigo ran forward along a marked out path while the others cheered her from the sidelines. She stomped forward nimbly and dodged left and right split-seconds before giant metal fists erupted from the ground at her feet. She ran on, took a sharp left and dug in her heels. A turret popped out of the ground before her and she grabbed it immediately. Indigo's alchemic powers went into effect and the turret grated itself to her arm. She ran on and, as the other turrets popped up to attack, she shot them with exploding discs before they could even get off a first shot.

Several guillotine walls burst up from the ground. Indigo elongated her arms, pulled herself up onto the first and hopped from wall top to wall top. Their guillotines dropped harmlessly below her. More turrets - this time shooting concussive laser shots - emerged to shoot at her. Indigo dodged and returned fire with her disc blaster. She jumped and dove into a pit even before it opened up. She overloaded her blaster and dropped it below her. The resulting explosion catapulted her upwards out of the pit and forward across the finish line.

Cyborg and the others rushed forward to congratulate her.

"That was awesome!" Cyborg's voice was heard above the cachophous praise of the others. "You're a natural, girl!"

Indigo smiled at them.

Behind the control panel, however, Robin and Raven exchanged a sober look.

"I think she should run it again." Robin called down.

"Again?" Cyborg repeated. "What for? She just aced it!"

"Are you okay for another run?" Robin insisted.

Indigo nodded and Cyborg and the others backed away to give her room. Again the clock behind Robin and Raven counted down to zero.

"Go!"

Indigo ran forward yet again. At the control panel, Robin rotated a lever and pressed a button. The metal fist that punched up from the ground did so two seconds earlier and several feet to the right. The fist hit Indigo fully and sent her flipping high in the air.

"Indigo!" Cyborg shouted.

Indigo landed with a full-body thud thirty yards away, throwing up a cloud of dust and dirt. Cyborg and the Titans and Encore and Aquagirl rushed over to her. Cyborg made it there first and knelt over his friend.

"Indigo! Are you all right?" He asked worriedly.

Indigo's glowing pink eyes flickered. Several of her joints sparked, but then the nanotech that was her body quickly repaired the damage they had sustained. She sat up on her elbows.

"I am unhurt." She reported.

Cyborg angrily turned on Robin. "What was that for, man?"

"Just proving a point." Robin said. He looked at Indigo. "You memorized the course, didn't you? You watched Aquagirl's run and recorded every detail. You planed the entirety of your run before you even started. Isn't that right?"

"It was the logical thing to do." Indigo said.

"This obstacle course isn't designed to test your logic." Raven said.

"The obstacle course is meant to unpredictable." Robin said. "It's meant to force you to react and improvise. Because you were so sure you knew what was going to happen, you were unable to do that. I changed one thing - one tiny variable - and your whole plan is destroyed. If you remember anything from today, remember this: Nothing is set in stone. Always have a backup plan."

_I see that Indigo has trouble relating to the others. She has an analytical turn of mind and isn't one for small talk. She can sense emotion in other people, but sometimes I think it is a logical guess rather than any true intuition, and the subtler moods seem to escape her. Sometimes it makes her put her foot in her mouth._

Movie night was a weekly event at Titans Tower. The Titans gathered together with popcorn and sodas and other snacks to watch. The couch wasn't enough to hold them all - not with three new bodies to accomodate - but they pushed over Raven's futon to compensate. No one said anything, but it was important they be close together. It was the closest thing they had to a family night. For even just a little while, it was important to laugh and experience things together; to be just normal teenage friends enjoying each others' company.

This week, it was Beast Boy's turn to choose the feature. When his friends were ready, he clicked off the lights and held up a DVD with one green finger. "This isn't as good as the first one." He said as he put the DVD into the machine. "But it's still pretty dang awesome! Ladies and gentlemen...and aliens and robots and sorceresses and cowboys...I present to you: _Ninja Commandos II!_"

That was met by a mixed reaction of cheers and groans, but then they all settled in to watch.

"It never fails." Robin complained near the climax of the movie. "The hero always has to fight the final battle shirtless! Is there a point to that besides blatant sex appeal?"

"Awww," Aquagirl playfully pinched his cheek. "I'm sure you'd be just as sexy if mutant ghost pirates ripped off _your_ shirt!"

Indigo looked at them. She took in Robin's smile and Aquagirl's hand on his knee as she leaned over to tease him. She frowned, put her hand on Aquagirl's shoulder and whispered something in her ear.

"What!" Aquagirl shrieked. "I was not!"

"Is something wrong?" Robin asked.

"Indigo just accused me of flirting with you!" Aquagirl said.

Encore walked behind the couch on the return trip of a popcorn run. "You are kind of flirty." He noted as he passed.

"Shut up, cowpoke! No one asked you!" Aquagirl looked at Starfire. "I wasn't flirting, I swear! I was just having some fun."

"You are my friend." Starfire said simply. "I trust you."

Aquagirl turned back to Indigo. "I can't believe you thought I was serious." She said.

Indigo looked around at her friends and then down at her lap. "...I apologize." She said. "I suppose I...miscalculated."

_She's grown close to Cyborg. My guess is that she being in his head has something to do with that._

_Maybe I should ask Raven._

_Indigo's also made a bond with Starfire, but that's no surprise. Starfire could make friends with Darkseid, provided they had a couch to share._

_As for making friends with everyone else, it's still a work in progress for Indigo._

Robin knocked on the door to Cyborg's lab twice and got no answer. The Boy Wonder carefully peered inside. He saw Cyborg and Indigo lying side by side on a pair of propped up lab tables. Their eye were closed and they had the appearance of deep sleepers. Robin walked quietly across the room and looked around. He had been going over the main room's city surveillance when he noticed a power surge he tracked to Cyborg's lab. He went over to the recharge station Cyborg used to refuel his power cell each night. There was now a second person in Indigo to recharge, but Robin knew that wasn't enough to account for the surge.

Robin noticed a new console and he curiously looked it over. Unsure of it's function, he typed a series of commands with his gloved fingers and brought up an on-screen visual. The whites of his eyemasks widened when, on the screen, he saw Cyborg and Indigo. Both of them appeared as completely human with no trace of their technologically enhanced bodies. The two of them sat at a chess game. Cyborg grinned broadly as he watched Indigo agonize over her next move. Then, with a demure little smile, she moved a chess piece. Cyborg took one look at it and the grin pratfalled off his face while Indigo laughed.

Robin clicked off the computer screen. He looked over his shoulder at Cyborg and Indigo, lying serenely in blue nanotech and shining metal. Then he turned and quietly left the room.

Some things are worth the extra power bill.

_Indigo is easy to instruct. She has a brain like a supercomputer. She learns anything she's told or shown the very first time. She can automatically recall anything she's ever experienced. Not even Cyborg can do that._

_But, also like a computer, Indigo struggles with improvisation and creativeness and imagination. Each of these things are just as important in a fight as technique. If fighting was just a series of moves and countermoves, each fight would be exactly the same with never a victor._

_Indigo is easy to instruct._

_But hard to teach._

"Go!" Robin said. He and the other Titans gathered around the protective fighting mat in the training room of Titans Tower to see Aquagirl and Indigo team up to take on Encore. No superpowers were allowed to be used. This was a test of pure fighting prowess.

Aquagirl charged in first. Encore dodged to one side. He tripped her and Aquagirl toppled to the mat. Indigo advanced on his blind side and Encore reverse-kicked her away.

Aquagirl jumped up swinging. Encore dodged and backstepped, swatting her fists away. He ducked just as an elongated blue arm whipped at him. The attacked slashed over his head and smacked Aquagirl off her feet.

On the sidelines, the slits of Robin's eye mask narrowed as he watched.

Encore turned to Indigo for the first time. He stepped inside her front kick even before she launched it. He grabbed her, turned and shoved her into Aquagirl just as she was getting up. The two girls fell back down in a tangled heap.

"Stop," Robin said and stepped forward. "I've seen enough." He reached down and pulled Indigo to her feet. He gestured and the two of them walked over to the other side of the room. Behind them Encore offered a hand to help up Aquagirl, but she gave him a withering look and stood up on her own.

"I know I didn't perform well." Indigo said. "Encore is a very skilled fighter."

"Yes," Robin said. "But this isn't about him. This is about you. His attention was focused on Aquagirl throughout the spar. He hardly looked at you at all. Why do you think that is?"

Indigo looked at him and said nothing.

"It's because he already knew what you were going to do." Robin answered his own question. "You've trained together only a short time, but he's already learned you. You approach things very mechanically, Indigo. That's not neccesarially a bad trait. It's logical to think that if something works a certain way the first time that it should the second and third and so on. But fighting isn't one of those things. The moment you become predictable in a fight is the moment you lose. You have to adapt and change things up. Do you understand?"

Indigo nodded.

Robin might have left it at that, but he saw Cyborg out of the corner of his eye watching them witha concerned expression. He looked back at Indigo and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be discouraged. You're doing well. You just need to be more imaginative. Do you think you can do that?" He said.

Indigo's blue fact contorted in thought as she analyzed that question. "I will try." She said, though her voice rang with strange uncertainty. "I will try."


	54. Oct 8  14: Aquagirl's Montage

_"No wonder the boys love you." - Raven_

**Aquagirl's Montage**

**October 8th - 14th**

_Aquagirl is mystery to everyone. Even herself._

_I do love a good mystery, though this one could be more dangerous than most._

Encore and Aquagirl stood not far away from where Robin and Raven were operating the obstacle course for Indigo.

"So, you don't remember _anything_?" Encore was saying.

"Not really." Aquagirl said. "At least, nothing personal. I get flashes sometimes but..." She shrugged.

They watched as Indigo flawlessly continued her run.

"It's weird not knowing anything about yourself." Aquagirl went on. "What do I do? Was I going to school? Do I have friends? A boyfriend?"

"You could even have a kid." Encore suggested.

Aquagirl gave him a worried look, but then she shrugged. "I'm a little young to be a mom, don't you think?"

Encore didn't reply. They watched Indigo graft one of the turrets to her wrists with her alchemic powers and shoot at the obstacles in her way.

"Think you have family out there somewhere?" Encore asked.

"I don't know." Aquagirl said. "I kind of hope I do...and kind of don't, you know? I just keep thinking 'what if?'. What if I don't like them? What if I live far away from here? What if they're bad people? What if they don't love me?"

"I think you can mark that last worry off the list." Encore said. He coughed awkwardly when he caught Aquagirl's questioning look. "What I mean is - yes, you can certainly be a pain in the butt sometimes and you're always busting my chops and you're a total flirt that dresses like a showgirl and you have more sass than a boatload of sitcom wives and-"

"Get to the point!" Aquagirl huffed.

"But you're a good person." Encore finished up. "You care for people. I don't see how anyone who knows you can't love you."

Aquagirl squinted at him suspiciously, wondering if that was a setup for a joke. But when it became evident it wasn't, her eyes softened. "Thanks, cowpoke." She said.

Indigo finished the obstacle course and the two of them joined the others in congratulating her. Right after Robin asked Indigo to run the course again, however, Aquagirl blinked and leaned in to whisper to Encore.

"You did say 'sass', right?" She asked. "With an 'S'?"

Encore did a double-take. Then he grinned at her. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I did."

"That's too bad."

Encore did a triple-take then, but Aquagirl just smirked. He might have said something then, but Indigo was punched by one of the metal fists on the obstacle course and they all rushed over to help.

_Masks._

_They can be a superhero's greatest tool; more important than a utility belt or a sonic cannon or even a power ring fueled by will-power. A mask lets us do what we do without fear. It protects our family and friends from those that would do them harm._

_What happens when family and those that would do us harm are one and the same?_

Aquagirl was swimming in the pool when Robin entered the gym. She was swimming laps and she looked like a missile cutting through the water, moving at least ten times faster than a normal person could. Robin stepped out onto the diving board and stood there to watch her. It was several minutes before Aquagirl noticed him there.

"Dah!" She gasped as she surfaced under him. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long." Robin said.

"Uh-huh," Aquagirl didn't sound convinced. "You'd make a good peeping tom, do you know that?"

"I just wanted to give you something." Robin said.

"You could've just said so." Aquagirl submerged briefly. Then she leaped out of the pool with all the grace of a dolphin. She landed with a fleshy splat on her barefeet. "What is it?"

"This," Robin handed her a pair of blue and white goggles made from the same material as her wetsuit.

Aquagirl examined them. "A mask?" She said. "Who do I need to hide my identity from? I don't even recognize myself."

"That doesn't mean other won't." Robin said. "Someone could recognize you and you wouldn't know it. They could hurt people you don't even remember are important to you. I don't want to see that happen."

The look on Aquagirl's face made it clear that possibility had never occured to her. She looked at Robin gratefully. "Thanks, bird boy."

"Don't mention it."

_Her friendship with Raven is like nothing I've ever seen before. No one - not even Starfire - has endeared themselves to our resident sorceress faster than Aquagirl. I try not to be too suspicious - Raven's happiness means a great deal to me - but it's hard not to question small miracles. It's my nature._

While Robin worked on the computer in the main room, Raven and Aquagirl sat nearby with a checkered board between them.

"People try to complicate it, but chess is a simple game." Raven was saying. "The object is to capture your opponent's king. You have several pieces and they all have their strengths, but the queen is your most important piece."

"Of course it is." Aquagirl said.

Raven smiled at her. "Let's try a game." She suggested. "I'll teach you as we go along."

Aquagirl picked up the nuances of the game surprisingly quick. She learned how each piece moved during the course of one match and began to pick up on the strategic nature of the game over the second.

"It's sweet the way you play." Aquagirl said during the third match. "Either that or you have a bad case of OCD."

"I don't understand." Raven said.

"The object of the game is to protect your king, right? But look at how you play. You try to protect _all_ of your pieces. You want to win the battle, but you want all of your soldiers standing when you do it. That's kind of sweet."

Raven's face flushed slowly. "I suppose I never thought of it that way." She murmured.

Aquagirl looked at the board and then back up at Raven. "Hey, let's take a break and do something else." She said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Aquagirl shrugged languidly. "The normal stuff girls do. We could talk about boys or braid each other's hair or practice kissing on each other."

Raven gave her a deadpan look, her face showing no expression. Then she laughed; a bubbling giggle that graduated into throaty laughter. She only stopped when she noticed that Robin - sitting behind Aquagirl - had swiveled in his chair and was giving her a look of shock. She blushed and coughed awkwardly.

"No wonder the boys love you." She told Aquagirl.

Aquagirl winked at her.

_Aquagirl is blunt, playful and always sassy. The Titans have taken to her well; especially the males. I suspect that may have something to do with her costume. It took us long enough to get used to Starfire's miniskirt._

_...I'm still getting used to it._

Cyborg walked into the main room of Titans Tower for a midnight snack. The room was dark save for the glow of the television screen in the front of the room and the computer monitor in the back. The familiar sight of Starfire sat on the couch and the unfamiliar sight of Robin sat beside her. Cyborg paused next to them.

"Where's Encore?" He asked.

"I have not seen him tonight." Starfire said. "Robin volunteered to keep company with me."

Aquagirl sat at the computer in the rear of the room. Cyborg's hunger momentarily trumped his curiousity. He went into the kitchen and made a multi-tiered sandwich nearly a foot tall. He took a large bite as he went back to Aquagirl.

"You can't sleep, either?" He asked her.

"Not really." Aquagirl said. "I just got caught up in doing this."

Cyborg peered over her shoulder. There were several pictures of him and the other Titans on the screen. "What is this?" He said.

"I got bored so I thought I'd redesign everyone's costume." Aquagirl said. "Check this out." She double-clicked a picture of Robin and his normal costume changed. His black and yellow cape became a hooded black cloak. He wore a red leather vest with the R emblem and his gloves and legs had become black and his tights were turned into loose pants. "I didn't like the green." Aquagirl explained.

"Frosty," Cyborg said. "What about Beast Boy?"

Aquagirl double-clicked his picture. The color scheme of the changeling's costume had changed from purple and black to white and red. His sneakers were replaced with tall white boots.

"He looks like a Gundam pilot." Cyborg said.

"Um, is that a good thing?"

"To him it would be. Who's next?"

Aquagirl clicked on Starfire's picture and Cyborg immediately blushed. The alien girl's skirt and top were replaced with a skin-tight lavender leotard and thigh-high boots. Generous strips of the leotard were cut out and a red jewel was embedded into the fabric low on her sloping belly.

"That costume shows even more skin than yours." Cyborg said.

"Starfire has pretty skin." Aquagirl shrugged. "Here, Indigo's next."

The computer screen showed Indigo's new outfit. She wore a white, pink trimmed miniskirt and a matching blouse with a circle cut out to show a modest amount of cleavage.

"Oooh," Cyborg said. "I like that one."

"I thought you might." Aquagirl gave him a knowing smirk.

"What?" Cyborg said defensively when he saw it.

"Nothing," Aquagirl said innocently. She clicked the next picture.

Encore's image appeared on the screen. In the place of his poncho was a long black trenchcoat. His cowboy hat and shades were gone. Instead, he wore a domino mask not unlike Robin's and a red bandana was tied around his lower face like an old-time bankrobber. And below his shiny belt buckle was-

"Um, Aquagirl?" Cyborg said. "Aren't you supposed to wear pants underneath chaps?"

"You're _supposed_ to." Aquagirl said with a devilish gleam in her eye. "But it's more fun this way. Encore is going to _die_ when he sees this!"

Cyborg rolled his eyes.

"This is my favorite one." Aquagirl said as she clicked Raven's picture.

Raven's image wore an elegant dress the same color of her original leotard. It was sleeveless and the two slits were cut so high on the train that the loose fabric looked more like a sweeping loincloth than a skirt. She wore long, delicate gloves and, instead of a cloak, a pair of blue streamers flowed down her back on either side of her collar and swooped back up to reconnect at her shoulders, forming two draping 'U's.

"Classy," Cyborg commented.

"Yup, yup." Aquagirl nodded. "I'm going to show Raven in the morning. I wonder if I can talk her into actually wearing it. I'd love to make it for her."

"Good luck with that." Cyborg said doubtfully. "What about me? You have any snazzy clothes for yours truly?"

"Not clothes exactly." Aquagirl said. "Clothes would look weird on you and I'm not sure how much you can change your metal parts, but I did mess around with your color scheme a bit. Take a look."

She clicked the mouse and Cyborg's image popped up on the screen. His metal plating was gold and his circuitry was black and silver. His electronic eye glowed a neon purple. Cyborg leaned in closer to take it all in.

"Wow," he said. "That's pretty awesome, girl!"

Aquagirl beamed at him proudly.

_Aquagirl enjoys needling Encore almost as much as she enjoys Raven's company. I have my suspicions about that, too, though of a different nature. Love and hate - while technically opposites - are very similiar emotions. I wouldn't be surprised if Aquagirl and Encore's competitve banter was a mask for something more._

_EIther way, Aquagirl is much better at it than her cowboy opponent and she certainly enjoys it more. I almost feel sorry for him._

_Almost._

The Central Jump City Mall was a huge, sprawling complex peppered with tall potted plants and even a live tree growing in the food court. It was open and brightly lit by numerous skylights that allowed the noonday sun to pour in.

Encore had never in his life seen so many stores and certainly not in one place. He had been enchanted with the place and tried to look around at everything at once. That faded quickly, however, as time went by. Several hours into the trip, Aquagirl and Starfire exited yet another clothing store. Lagging behind them, as if on some invisible leash, was Encore and Robin carrying several bags and physics-defying stacks of clothes boxes that hid their faces.

Encore animely craned his neck around his stack to look at Robin. "How did we get roped into this again?" He complained.

"Because you're sweet and you love us." Aquagirl tossed her head. "Now hurry up!"

"It makes even less sense when you factor in that we wear our costumes ninety percent of the time." Robin grumbled.

"I still don't get it." Encore said. "I mean, yeah, you're Starfire's boyfriend. This is kind of one of the obligations of that, but you get the perks of the situation, too. Why the heck am _I_ doing this? What's in it for me?"

"That's a good question." Robin said it suggestively as if he already knew the answer.

Encore squinted at him from behind his dark glasses. "Are you trying to say I-"

"Come along, boys!" Starfire called to them. "The next store of shopping is before us!"

Encore and Robin peered around their boxes. Up ahead, at the end of Starfire's pointing finger, was a lingerie store.

The slits of Robin eye mask thinned. "You've got-"

"-to be kidding me." Encore finished.

"Suck it up, boys." Aquagirl said. "Superheroines need underwear, too. Maybe we'll model some for you if you're good."

"Aquagirl!" Starfire gasped with a red face.

Aquagirl let out a wicked little laugh. She led Starfire boldly into the shop with Encore and Robin trudging behind them.

"You're the Boy Wonder." Encore said to him. "Do something!"

"What can I do?"

"I don't know. Reach into that belt of yours and throw down a smoke pellet."

"Don't think I'm not considering it." Robin said.

_Aquagirl has the power to manipulate water with just the power of her mind. She is not my first encounter with an aquakinetic. We were forced to fight Aqualad of Titans East when he was brainwashed by Brother Blood. I know firsthand just how powerful they can be._

_Her body is tailor-made for water travel. She can swim at incredible speeds and breathe underwater. Her muscles are made to withstand the incredible pressures of the deep sea and, as a side effect, it makes her several times stronger than the average human._

_As Aquaman could tell you, however, crimes and disasters very rarely happen in the ocean._

The fire that now engulfed the Bridging Heights apartment building had started as a small shower of sparks in the basement, the result of a malfunctioning heating unit. It had quickly bloomed upwards and graduated into a full-grown blaze that burned the building as if it were a giant mountain of dry kindling. The sirens and bells of a pair of firetrucks rang in the distance, but they were still far away when the Teen Titans arrived on the scene.

Starfire flew around the building holding Robin's hand. He dangled and used his free hand to reach into his utility belt and throw several specialized discs. The discs exploded in bursts of wet white powder that smothered the licking flames, but more quickly took their place.

Aquagirl stood on the street and shielded her face from the intense heat the fire gave off. Her skin was already drying out quickly. "Encore!" She called. "I need some water!"

A beat. She looked around and saw that the cowboy was nowhere to be found.

"He went around to the other side!" Cyborg shouted over the roar of the blaze. He pushed the fire back with low pulses of sonic energy. "I think he's inside!"

"Typical guy: Never around when you him." Aquagirl muttered to herself. She found a yellow fire hydrant on the street nearby and held her palm out to it. At first nothing seemed to happen, but then the hydrant trembled, shook and exploded upward on gushing water. Aquagirl directed the water into a jetstream using her aquakinesis. The stream ribboned around her and then splashed into the heart of the fire with a hiss of steam.

Cyborg brought two fingers to his temple and his electronic eye gleamed as it peered into the resulting white cloud. "Aquagirl!" He said. "I think there's someone still in there!"

"I'm on it!"

Aquagirl stood on a disc of water and rode it upwards as a funnel. She enveloped herself in a globe of water and went into the burning building. Steam gathered around her as she walked through the fiery hallway. A section of roof fell down several feet in front of her and left a gaping hole in the floor. Aquagirl hesitated and looked over her shoulder at the window she had entered from. It was so close and safety lay just beyond it. She grit her teeth, firmly turned her back on the window and continued on.

She found a little boy in the next room. He was shrank into a pitiful little heap in the corner, trembling from fear and covering his head. Aquagirl reached her arms through the globe of water around her and picked him up. She surrounded the boy with water, but left an air pocket so he could breath. She quickly took him to the window and lowered them to the ground. She flung the water that had surrounded them at the burning apartment building in a sheet. The moment Aquagirl set the boy down, however, he lunged forward and clung to her.

Aquagirl looked down at him awkwardly. "It's okay now, kid. You can let go."

The boy gave no indication that he heard her. He hugged her waist tighter. Aquagirl looked around, but there was no one to help her. Cyborg was nearby, but he was still fighting the fire. Aquagirl sighed and warily returned his embrace.

"Can't keep the boys off me." She muttered, but her face was strangely soft.


	55. Oct 8 14:  Encore's Montage

_"When you live on the street...when you have nothing to eat...you'd be surprised at what you'll do to get by." - Encore_

**Encore's Montage**

**October 8th - 14th**

_Indigo is potentially the strongest of the three new Titans. As of now, Encore __**is**__. I've never seen an elemental metahuman have control over more than one element. Aquagirl can control water. Hotspot and fire. Terra and earth. _

_Encore breaks the mold. He can create and manipulate electricity, fire and wind. Through electricity he can manipulate magnetism. He can also make - but not control - water. Aquagirl picks up the slack there. Even so, he has the power of three and a half elemental metahumans; four if you count magnetism as an element. He's powerful now; with practice and concentration he could be one of the most powerful metahumans in the world._

_And yet, even with all that power...the guy is deathly afraid of heights._

It was night on the roof of Titans Tower. Encore and Aquagirl sat across from each other with their legs folded beneath them. Around them stood Robin, Starfire and Raven.

"Why am _I_ doing this again?" Aquagirl asked.

"You've been inside Encore's head before." Raven said. "Outside of the tournament, remember? It's easier to re-establish an old mental connection than to make a new one."

"I'm a little antsy about this, too." Encore drawled. "I don't like the idea of someone rooting around in my head."

"What's the matter, cowpoke? Afraid I'll see some raunchy fantasies?"

"We respect your privacy." Robin said. "Aquagirl is only looking for one specific thing."

"If we're going to cure you of your fear of heights, we'll need to know its origins." Raven added. She looked at Aquagirl. "You know what to do."

Aquagirl nodded. She reached out and put her hands on Encore's temples. "Relax and clear your mind. It'll make it easier." She told him. She closed her eyes and began chanting the words Raven had taught her in the melodic way Encore had suggested.

_"Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso...Aquwuz...Nostals Blimiso..."_

Aquagirl's eyes opened and they glowed with a bright purple light.

_**FLASH!**_

_**A little brown-haired boy was climbing up a ladder. On the ground at the bottom was a younger Asian girl. She looked up worriedly at him and wrung her hands.**_

_**"Get down here, Jonny!" She shouted.**_

_**"Nu-uh! I'm doing it!" The boy said.**_

_**"I'm gonna tell mom and dad!"**_

_**"Watch me do this first!"**_

_**The boy crawled off the top of the ladder and onto the roof of a barn. He stood up and teetered. The girl below covered her face in fright. The boy regained his balance and walked unevenly to the front of the barn. He grinned down at the girl.**_

_**"Watch me, Crystal! Watch me fly!"**_

_**"Jonny! Wait!"**_

_**The boy ran across the roof on sturdy legs and dove into the air.**_

_**FLASH!**_

_**The little boy lay in the grass some distance away from the barn, crying loudly and clutching his broken arm as the little girl cradled him.**_

_**FLASH!**_

The purple glow left Aquagirl's eyes and she looked over at Encore.

"You idiot!" She said and whopped him on the arm. "You jumped off a barn!"

Encore rubbed his shoulder. "I saw it, too, but I don't remember doing it." He said.

"A repressed memory, most likely." Raven surmised. She looked at Aquagirl. "Good job."

"Thanks," she said. "Something was weird, though. Part of the memory was missing. It just kind of skipped ahead a little."

"Strange," Raven agreed.

"So, friend Encore has a fear of high places because he fell from a great height as a child?" Starfire asked.

"But that doesn't make a lick of sense." Encore said. "I didn't even remember falling until just now."

"The mind can work in strange ways sometimes." Raven said. "The subconscious can remember what we do not. Because you didn't consciously recognize your fear, your body compensated by creating its own version of it. Trust me, I know."

"Now we know the why." Robin said as he pulled Encore to his feet. "It's time to conquer it now."

Raven and Starfire went to the ledge of the roof and levitated just beyond it. Encore went with them, but hesitated just short of stepping on the ledge.

"This is embarassing." He complained.

"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of." Starfire said. "Right, Raven?"

"No comment."

Encore took a deep breath and stepped on the ledge. He looked down and all those old, awful, familiar feelings rushed back to him. Somehow cutting through all of that were the scared eyes of a little girl. He swayed uncertainly with his stomach in his throat.

"We are here for you, Encore." Starfire encouraged him.

"Calm your feelings."

"You can do it!"

"Man up, cowpoke!"

Trembling and shaking, Encore hummed a ragged melody and wind picked up around him. It lifted him up several inches and he tentatively let it push him out into empty air.

_It's hard to get a read on Encore. He's infinitely likable. He's friendly and easy-natured. (It's worth having him on the team just to hear Starfire try to impersonate his accent.) But at the same time, he's the only other person on the team concerned with hiding his true identity and trying to get him to talk about his past is like pulling teeth or cleaning up after a fight with Plasmus._

_I'm sure he would say I'm the pot calling the kettle black._

_Also, I've only seen him sleep once. I've never seen a man function with such little sleep. And I used to work for Batman._

_Just what does he do all night?_

Encore and Starfire had become insomnia buddies. When it grew late and the lights in Titans Tower went out, they inevitably sought each other out to share in their sleeplessness. They spent most of their time either stargazing on the roof or in the main room watching television. Starfire would begin to droop around midnight, however, and by one in the morning she had given into her exhaustion.

For Encore, however, Starfire's retirement only signaled the beginning of his night. Sometimes he would pace the hallways of the tower. Other times he would simply lie in his bed and listen to the radio or pick lethargically at his guitar.

Some nights his restlessness forced him out of Titans Tower completely. On one night Robin's curiousity got the better of him and he decided to follow the cowboy on one of his excursions. Encore was so oblivious to his presence that Robin almost felt guilty. He never once looked behind him.

Encore's destination was a small, brick costume shop in downtown. The shop was dark inside and a sign in the front window firmly told the world that it was closed. Robin landed on the edge of a roof across the street and watched. Encore produced a key from inside his poncho, unlocked the front door of the shop and let himself inside. He clicked on the light, disappeared briefly into the back room and reemerged with a long-handled broom. Robin watched with an unreadable face as Encore began sweeping up the store.

It was several minutes later when the upstairs light clicked on. A moment later a brunette woman with thick-rimmed glasses and a thick white robe walked down into the shop and began talking with Encore. The slits of Robin's eyemask narrowed on the girl's face. He swooped down to the street and crouched hidden at the corner of the shop. He activated the directional microphone in his glove and put his fingertips to the front glass.

"I told you I was going to help out, Karen." Encore was saying. "I have to pay you back for this costume, remember?" He plucked the front of his poncho.

"Right," Karen said. "I just assumed you'd be working at the times people are, you know, actually _awake._"

"Don't mind me. I'll lock up when I'm done."

"I'm awake now." Karen said. "I'll stay up and keep you company for a bit."

They made small talk then and had the kind of easy, natural conversation between two friends. Robin nearly removed his hand and left them to their visit when Karen asked a question that piqued his interest.

"How is life in Titans Tower?" She asked.

"It's hands down the coolest place I've ever lived." Encore said. "Everyone's friendly. Everyone's been good to me."

"But?" Karen said shrewdly.

Encore paused in his sweeping and glanced down at the floor. "I'm still not sleeping." He said quietly.

"Not at all?"

"Just enough to get by." Encore said. "It's been almost two weeks since I had a decent night's sleep. Not since..."

"Since when?" Karen prodded.

"Well, there was this girl-"

Robin's microphone crackled with a static sound barely perceptible to the ear. Even so, Karen's head jerked towards the sound and she interrupted Encore with a raised hand.

"Did you hear that?" She said.

"Hear what?"

Karen didn't answer. She peered where Robin lay in hiding as she walked to the front door. She opened it and looked around at the corner, but no one was there.

_There's something about Encore that makes me wary. I feel like I know where Indigo and Aquagirl are coming from. I understand their mindset and level of experience. I can't say the same for Encore._

_He's obviously had some kind of combat training. He is miles beyond his two peers in that respect. He's always vague when I ask him about it. I don't know where he recieved his training._

_At least, I hope I don't._

Following his spar with Indigo and Aquagirl, Encore reached down to help Aquagirl to her feet while Indigo and Robin spoke quietly on the other side of the room. Aquagirl gave the cowboy a withering look and got up on her own.

"I'm going to win next time." She asserted.

"Yes, ma'am." He said.

"Don't patronize me, cowpoke!"

"No, ma'am."

Robin returned from his conference with Indigo. "Take a break, Aquagirl." He said. "Encore and I are going to go a round."

"Good." Aquagirl said. "Kick his butt, Robin." She walked off the mat to stand with the others.

"Love you, too, darlin'." Encore called after her dryly.

Encore attacked first with a sweeping right hook. Robin ducked underneath and retaliated with a straight jab. Encore grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder in an improvised judo throw. Robin shifted his body weight in mid-air and landed on his feet in a slide. He streaked back into Encore's guard with a flap of his cape and attacked with piston-like green and black blurs of punches and kicks. Much like he had under Aquagirl's earlier assult, Encore backstepped and dodged and swatted the strikes away. Robin, however, was faster than Aquagirl. His last punch broke through and landed solidly on Encore's chin.

Robin went low and sweeped Encore's legs. Encore fell on the back of his shoulders, but he immediately put his palms down over his head and whipped himself back up to his feet. He blocked a double karate chop and smashed his forearm into Robin's face. Robin spun away in a stumble. He gave Encore a determined smirk and reset himself.

Robin leaped forward and launched a trio of front kicks in quick succession. Encore blockblockblocked with crossed forearms and shoved against Robin's knees. Robin - instead of fighting the loss of balance - leaned into his new momentum, did a front flip and kicked down with both feet on Encore's shoulders. Encore crumpled to the mat.

Robin helped Encore to his feet.

"That was a nice move." Encore complimented him with a slightly winded voice. "I never saw it coming."

"You will next time." Robin said. "Want to go again?"  
Encore grinned at him.

TTT

It was some time later and Robin and Starfire walked down one of the many hallways inside Titans Tower. Their interlinked hands swung between them.

"Encore was impressive today." Robin said.

"Yes," Starfire agreed. "He fought you evenly for some time. That is indeed an impressive feat."

"Did you...notice anything about the way he fought?"

Starfire considered. "He is very talented. I am not sure I understand the question."

"Did his technique seem familiar to you?" Robin rephrased the question.

"I do not think so." Starfire said. "Is it familiar to you?"

Robin was silent for a long moment before he answered.

"No," he said at last. "No, I guess not."

Starfire looked at his uncertain face, but nonetheless silently accepted his answer.

_Many things about Encore are a mystery to me, but one thing is abundantly clear: He is a family man. There's no way a loner of any kind could have ingratiated himself so seamlessly into a group as strange and varied as ours. But it makes me wonder: Why would he leave his family in the first place?_

Encore had never spent much times with video games - that was his sister's department - but he couldn't help but be sucked in by Cyborg's and Beast Boy's enthusiasm. Their raucous joy and competitive spirit created an atmosphere far more magnetic than any of the electric fields Encore could make. Encore leaned on the back of the couch where Cyborg and Beast Boy sat and watched the big screen in front of them in facination.

A pixelized Beast Boy fought a pixelized version of Hotspot in what looked to be a caricature of uptown Metropolis. Both the Daily Planet and the Lexcorp Building could be plainly seen in the background.

Beast Boy bounced in place with his controller. "Here we go!" He cackled.

The pixelized Beast Boy on the screen launched a lightning fast flurry of attacks. Each hit that landed was performed by a different green transformation. It happened so fast Encore could hardly tell which animal was which before it moved on to the next one. The video game version of Beast Boy finished the assault with a gorilla uppercut and then a stegosaurus tailwhip that knocked Hotspot off the side of the screen.

_Fantastic!_ The video game complimented the manuever in text form. _28 hit combo!_

"Aw, yeah!" Beast Boy crooned. "Where's yo' curly moustache at?"

"Right here, little man!" Cyborg said.

Pixelized Cyborg leaped into the fray to replace Hotspot. He blocked a swooping green pterydactyl strike and retaliated with a giant blue beam from his sonic cannon.

"Ack! Nooooo!" Beast Boy moaned immediately.

The blue sonic cannon blast knocked pixelized Beast Boy up in the air. Pixelized Cyborg tagged out and Hotspot took his place. The blue beam was replaced with a tornado of fire. The attack ended when Pantha was tagged in. She leaped up, grabbed the airborne Beast Boy and delivered a devastating twisting piledriver.

_Unbelievable! 52 hit combo! K.O! Player One Wins!_

PIxelized Pantha leaped to the center of the screen to stand over her unconscious opponent. She cracked her knuckles. "I break you!" Her voice actor said in a bad impersonation of her actual accent.

"Aw, man!" Beast Boy lamented. Tears streamed openly from his eyes in anime rivers and his agape mouth fell off his face with the sound of breaking glass.

"Aw, yeah!" Cyborg was the opposite of his friend. He pumped his fist and flexed his metal muscles. "Who's the King of Smackdown Superheroes? Yours truly, baby!"

"That's was awesome!" Encore said.

Cyborg grinned at the compliment. "You want to give it a try?" Cyborg offered the controller to him.

"No, I can't." Encore said. "I stink at video games."

"C'mon, man!" Cyborg cajoled him. "You can't be any worse than Beast Boy."

A burst of steam shot out of Beast Boy's ears. He crossed his arms across his skinny chest and shot a fanged frown at his friend, but Cyborg blithely ignored him.

"What do you say?" Cyborg said to Encore.

"I reckon I can give it a shot." Encore gave him. He took the offered controller and sat down on the couch between them.

Encore found himself on the character select screen. There were over one hundred square portraits of heroes to choose from. He cycled through several of them including a Latino girl in a nanotech suit named 'Prodigy'. He briefly hovered over the portrait of a dark-haired swordsman, but then he thought better of it.

"Who should I pick?" He asked.

"Definitely Raven." Beast Boy said. "She's totally broken in this game."

Encore's brow furrowed. "Why would I want to play as her if she's broken?" He wanted to know.

"He means she's god tier." Cyborg supplied helpfully. "She's easy to play with."

Encore selected her. "Who else?"

"Just pick who you want, man."

Encore chose Powergirl and the speedster Jessie Quick.

"An all-girl team." Beast Boy waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I like the way you think!"

"Now we just need to find someone for you to play against." Cyborg said. "Me and BB are a little too experienced to make it fair."

Just then the door to the main room slid open and Raven walked in.

"That was convenient." Encore said. "How about Raven?"

Raven looked at the three boys. "What about me?"

"No way, dude." Beast Boy said. "She'll never go for it."  
"It's not her thing, dawg."

"It can't hurt to ask." Encore told them. He looked at Raven. "Want to play a video game with us?"

Raven looked thoughtfully at him and then at the television screen. "Sure," she said.

"See?" Beast Boy said. "We told you she wouldn't-wait, what?"

Raven picked up the second controller. The boys quickly scooted over to make room and she sat down on the couch with them.

"You got to choose three characters." Encore told her.

Raven picked Green Lantern, Zatara and Aqualad.

"Aqualad?" Beast Boy said.

Raven turned away to hide her blush.

A loading screen popped up on the screen and Encore's team stood across from Raven's. All six characters bounced in place in fighting poses. Raven squinted at her pixelized doppleganger. Or, more specifically, her chest.

"Is it just me or does my character look a little...top-heavy?" She asked.

"No way!" Cyborg said. "She's one of the fastest characters in the game!"

"Yeah," Beast Boy piped in. "She's got an awesome one-man cross-up game with her super jump cancel into her air dash!"

Encore exchanged a look with Raven that said he was the only one who understood what she meant. The two of them smirked at each other.

"I'll help out Raven out." Cyborg volunteered. "Beast Boy, you can coach Encore."

The loading screen finished and pixelized Raven faced off against pixelized Green Lantern with a background that was meant to be the island nation of Themyscira.

_Fight!_

"Charge in and hit your launcher!" Beast Boy said.

"High block! Hit square, square, Y, X and-" Cyborg said.

"Dodge roll! Super jump and hit the trigger-"

"No, no, the _other_ trigger!"

"Quarter circle forward and high punch!"

"Use your super assist!"

"Jump, gypsy, jump!"

Encore and Raven tried vainly to follow the instructions of their coaches. On the screen, pixelized Raven and Green Lantern jumped in place and futilely swiped at empty air.

Cyborg and Beast Boy pratfalled.

Encore and Raven looked at each other awkwardly.

"Okay, new plan!" Cyborg said. "Just...hit the buttons really fast!"  
"Yeah, what he said!"

Things went a little smoother under that new advice. Pixelized Raven leaped in and strung together a few hits.

"Hah, got you!" Encore cheered.

_4 hit combo! Fair!_

"Not so fast!" Raven said. "Take this!"

PIxelized Green Lantern retaliated with a short flurry that ended with a green punch of will power.

_6 hit combo! Good!_

The fun atmosphere Beast Boy and Cyborg had shared was quickly recreated between Encore and Raven. Cyborg and Beast Boy - as if they were watching their kids in a little league game - cheered them on enthusatically.

"Yo, Robin!" Cyborg called over to where the Boy Wonder sat at the kitchen table with a newspaper. "You want next?"

_It's easy to become jaded in this line of work. You see so many bad people doing so many bad things that you can forget about the good people you're protecting. You can develop black and white vision and that's a mistake I'll admit I've made. Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to put things in perspective._

Robin stood on the edge of a roof in downtown. Encore stood somewhat behind him, careful not to stand too close to the edge. Both of them looked down and watched as a pair of policemen put a despondent-looking handcuffed man into the back of a squad car.

"You just stopped your first crime with the Titans. How does it feel?" Robin asked.

"I don't know." Encore said. "I feel kind of bad, honestly."

"Bad?"

"For him." Encore gestured at the man in the car. "What's going to happen to him now?"

"He's an armed robber, Encore." Robin pointed out. "He made his choice. We did what we had to do."

"The gun wasn't loaded, though."

"We didn't know that." Robin said. "The people he was pointing it at didn't know that. For all we know, _he_ didn't know that."

Encore nodded slowly. "I just can't help but think: Why did he do it?"

"You have to be pretty dumb to hold up a convinence store." Robin said.

"Or desperate." Encore's voice wavered a bit. "When you live on the street...when you have nothing to eat...you'd be surprised at what you'll do to get by."

"Encore," Robin said it seriously. "Not everyone in this world gets a fair shake. "Sometimes people get the right combination of desperation and stupidity and do horrible things. People deserve a second chance, but only one. When you get one, you better do everything you can to make it count. There aren't any do overs. Do you understand?"

Encore looked Robin full in the face. "Absolutely," he said gravely.


	56. Oct 13: Keeping Up With The Walkers

_"Don't you ever use a door?" - Holly Walker_

_**Keeping Up With The Walkers**_

_**October 13th**_

_**Morning**_

It was late morning in Jump City. A dark, overcast sky threatened rain and a chilly breeze blew steadily. The streets were busy with the routine traffic of adults going to work and children being taken to school.

Robin swooped over them on a grappling hook and landed on the roof of the JCPD Headquarters. Commissioner Walker stood there waiting for him in his omnipresent overcoat, fedora and cigarette. At his feet was a simple cardboard box.

"Good morning." He said brusquely. "I was just sitting here wondering if I need a big floodlight like Gordon has in Gotham. Wouldn't that be something? A giant 'T' in the sky?"

"Our communication line works well enough." Robin said. "What can I do for you, Commissioner?"

"Something was sent in to us yesterday. I thought you might want to take a look." Walker slid the box forward with his foot.

Robin knelt down, opened the box and pulled out an orange and black outfit made of leather and cloth, complete with metal gauntlets and a shoulder bracer.

"Look familiar?" Commissioner Walker asked him.

"It's Maverick's costume." Robin said. "One of Slade's apprentices that broke into the Gemini Building."

"It was found in a dumpster in downtown." Walker said.

"Did you do a forensics analyst?"

"We tried, but it was a no-go." Walker said. "The thing's been in the trash for at least a week and covered with god knows what. Even if we could find some DNA it wouldn't prove anything."

Robin nodded slowly and studied the costume. "Look here." He said and pointed at the right side of the chest. "It's torn where the 'S' symbol should be. It looks like it's been ripped off."

Commissioner Walker squinted at it. "Are you sure?"

"I would know." Robin said emotionlessly.

"You think Maverick threw the suit away because it's ripped?"

"No," Robin said. "I think he threw it away because he didn't want to wear it anymore. He hasn't been seen since the Gemini Assault. He was MIA at the metahuman tournament."

Commissioner Walker moved his cigarette to the other side of his mouth. "So you think the guy has quit the supervillain game?" He asked.

"That's right." Robin said. "And if that's true, I'm not going to pursue this. I know firsthand how convincing Slade can be; how hard it can be to resist him. Everyone deserves a second chance."

Commissioner Walker looked at Robin suspiciously. "Why do I get the feeling you know more than you're letting on?" He said.

"I have a lot on my plate right now, Commissioner. A retired apprentice who is no longer causing trouble is on the bottom of my list. Thanks for the update but, as far as I'm concerned, this case is closed." Robin turned and his cape silently shadowed him. He fired his grappling hook and swung away.

Commissioner Walker chewed thoughtfully on the end of his cigarette and watched him disappear into the city. "That didn't answer my question, bird boy." He murmured.

TTTTTTTTT

The Hunter Detective Agency had nearly recovered from the break-in Sammy and his men had committed over a week ago. All that was left was to build a new windowframe and set glass into it. Holly held a clawed hammer and carelessly twirled it while her assistant Jonathon held a nail and all but cowered before her.

"Don't be a wuss!" Holly was saying. "We're almost finished! Just hold the nail so I can hammer it in."

"N-no way!" Jonathon furiously shook his head. "You're going to hit me!"

Holly sighed between vibrating lips. "No, I won't! Come on, James! Do your job!" She told him.

"My name is not James." Jonathon protested weakly. "And I'm a-a receptionist, okay? I'm not a repair man or-"

"You're my assistant! Now assist me by holding that nail in place! You do want this job, right?"

Jonathon hung his head and, with a trembling hand, he held up the nail against the windowframe. Holly smiled and then stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in intense concentration. She twirled the hammer one last time and drew it back far over her shoulder. Jonathon sweat coldly and grit his teeth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice ghosted to them from behind. Holly and Jonathon lowered their tools and turned to see Robin standing behind them.

"You," Holly said. "Don't you ever use a door?"

"Not if I can help it." Robin said with a straight face.

"R-Robin?" Jonathon looked at the teen hero in disbelief. "Wow! I'm a big fan, sir! I just want to thank you for everything you and the Titans have done for the city."

Robin politely shook his hand. "I appreciate that," he said. "But don't call me 'sir'."

"Oh! R-right...!"

Robin turned to Holly. "It's been a while since we talked. I thought I'd drop in and see how your investigation is going." He said.

"Come upstairs." Holly said. "I have something you need to see."

Robin followed her up to her office. Holly sat down somewhat gingerly at her desk, holding the rib she had cracked during her confrontation with Slade. Robin stood behind her and looked over her shoulder at her computer.

"This is a picture I snapped of Aquagirl at the metahuman tournament." She pointed at the screen. "I ran it through my face recognition program and compared it to the JCPD Juvenile Database."

"I thought those files were supposed to be sealed." Robin said.

"I'm just awesome like that." Holly said. "Anyway, I got a match I think you're going to be interested in. Look here."

A dead-eyed mug shot of Aquagirl popped up on the screen.

"Your new Titan recruit is none other than Reba Verilli, daughter of Marcus Verilli." Holly said. She swiveled in her chair and looked at Robin's neutral face. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"I got her fingerprints off a water bottle not long after I met her." Robin said. "It was easy to find out at that point."

"And you still have her on your team? Why?"

"She's an amnesiac." Robin said. "She doesn't know who she is."

"But that doesn't change who she is!" Holly said. "Look at this file! She stole a car and set fire to a bank! The girl's a regular Niko Bellic!"

"She's been nothing but honest with us. Everyone deserves a second chance." Robin said it strongly.

Holly looked like she might argue further, but then she decided against it. "Whatever, the chick's your problem. I want to talk to her the moment she gets her memories back, though. She must know all kinds of secrets about her father. I want to know everything she does."

"I'll keep that in mind." Robin said.

With that, Holly leaned forward, put her chin on her fists and stared holes into Robin.

"Was there something else?" Robin asked.

"No," Holly continued to stare.

"..."

"..."

"...You just want to see me leave, don't you?" Robin said.

"Yep."

The two of them stared and each other and neither moved. They could hear Jonathon hammering the windowframe into place downstairs. The whack...whack...whack of his hammering was smooth and measured, but then it missed a beat.

"Ye-owwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Jonathon shouted in pain.

"Damnit, Jared!" Holly rolled her eyes. "I can't believe he-hey wait!" She jerked her eyes back to Robin, but it was already too late.

He was gone.

TTTTTTTTTT

Across town at the opulent Verilli Estate, Marcus Verilli - as was his custom - was served his breakfast outside on a marble patio. His bodyguard Sammy stood stoicly nearby and at another table was Maria, the young Latino woman who was Verilli's personal information broker.

Marcus sipped from a crystal glass. "Is there any new information from the Hunter Detective Agency, Miss Juarez?" He asked her.

Maria looked down at her laptop. The link she had planted onto Holly's internet connection was active. On her screen was both the picture of Aquagirl and the mugshot of Reba Verilli. Maria hesitated.

"Well?" Marcus prodded her.

Maria moused over the feed and clicked 'delete file'.

"No, Mr. Verilli." She lied calmly. "Nothing at all."


	57. Oct 14: Graduation Day

_"Is that some kind of euphemism?" - Aquagirl_

_**Graduation Day**_

_**October 14th**_

The initiation period for Encore, Aquagirl and Indigo was over. For a week they had been trained, taught, evaluated - and befriended - by the Teen Titans. It had been a complicated and conflicting time for Encore. He had been given a chance at redemption and a roof over his head and he had made many amazing, wonderful friends. But, at the same time, he carried the guilt of once being Slade's apprentice. He was homesick and missed his family and, worst of all, he was unable to sleep. He hadn't had any productive rest since his last night with Kelly. Something about her presence soothed and relaxed him. Without her, however, his racing brain refused to give him repose. His hallucinations had also steadily gotten worse, though he didn't dare tell the Titans about them. He was sure that, if he could somehow just get one night's rest, they would disappear.

Even so, Encore felt his blessings outweighed his problems. His expulsion from the Undergrounders had been a personal low point, but now he felt like he was on the rise again. He had been given a great opportunity and he was extremely grateful for it.

However, Encore was not a Titan yet. There was one last test he had to complete.

"Before you can be a Titan, Encore, you have to prove to us that you fear of heights won't interfere with your duty." Robin was explaining. "To do that, all you have to do is play a game of tag with Starfire. If you can put a hand on her, you'll have deserved this." He held up a black and yellow Titan communicator.

"Best. Initiation test. Ever." Beast Boy waggled his eyebrows.

The Teen Titans and their three initiates had gathered on the roof of Titans Tower. It was early morning. The sunrise was technically over, but the sky was still stained with red and orange. There were many yawns by the others, but the time of day made little difference to Encore.

"Is this really neccesary?" Encore said plaintively. "I don't really see-" He stopped abruptly to lunge at Starfire, but she flew up out of his reach.

"A truly sneaky manuever." Starfire smiled. "But it will take more than that to catch me!"

"That was a cheap move." Aquagirl said accusingly.

Encore shrugged off her distaste. "You can't blame fellow for trying." He said.

"Any time you're ready." Robin said.

Encore hesitated. Then he reached for the lasso on his belt.

"The odds of that working are low." Indigo said.

"The point of this exercise is to make you fly." Robin reminded him.

"Besides," Cyborg added. "Even if you _did_ grab Starfire with that thing, she'd just drag you from here to Metropolis."

Encore sighed and let his arms fall to his side.

"You can do this, Encore." Starfire said encouragingly.

"Calm your emotions." Was Raven's advice.

"And don't look down!" Beast Boy chirped.

Encore took in a deep, shuddering breath. He opened his mouth to sing the song that would activate his powers, but he was interrupted by a buzzing in his ears. He looked unsteadily at Starfire. His sight grew hazy and, when it refocused Starfire had changed. Her red hair was dark, her green eyes had become a bright blue and her amber skin had become pale. Encore shook his head and covered his face.

"You can do this, Encore." Robin put a hand on his shoulder. "We've practiced this all week. Now it's time to show what you can do."

The buzzing subsided. Encore peeked through his fingers and found Starfire had returned to normal. He squared his shoulders and nodded at Robin. He stepped away from him into an open space and hummed a melody. Capes and cloaks and ponchos and several shades of hair fluttered and flapped as wind picked up around him.

TTTTTTTTTT

Indigo and Beast Boy stood across from each other in a large rectangular room. It was completely bare and and it's floor, ceiling and walls were blue and white in an imitation of Cyborg's circuitry. Above the room was an observation deck with a long window where the other Teen Titans - plus Aquagirl and Encore - looked down into it. Robin and Raven manned a control panel not unlike the one for the outdoor obstacle course.

Indigo ran forward at Beast Boy, but she was forced to stop when a metal compress slammed down from the ceiling. The compress lifted and Indigo found herself in the sights of a charging green rhino. She leaped to the side to avoid being trampled. Another trap in the wall activated and a pair of round saw blades were launched at her. Indigo stretched her torso around them.

"What is this place?" Aquagirl asked from up in the observation deck.

"It was originally something of a safe room." Robin said. "A very special safe room" He exchanged a look with Raven. "But now it's no longer neccesary. Cyborg and I have converted it into something a little more useful. It's a kind of advanced training room."

"Is that what it's called? The advanced training room?" Aquagirl asked.

"We haven't really got around to naming it yet."

"It looks pretty darn dangerous." Encore said. "Maybe you could call it the Danger Room."

"I don't think so." Raven hummed.

Encore shrugged. He watched as several laser turrets shot volleys from inside the room while Indigo and Beast Boy frantically dodged. "Are we sure this is safe?" He asked.

"Indigo's in no real danger." Cyborg said. "She's an android - at least on the outside - any injury she sustains can be repaired."

"What about Beast Boy?"

"I know he comes off as immature, but he's been doing this as long as any of us." Cyborg assured him. "The little man can take care of himself."

Down in the room below, Indigo kicked and punched at Beast Boy. She elongated her limbs to give her strikes more reach, but Beast Boy dodged and morphed around them.

"Frickin' Dhalsim femmebot, I swear!" The changeling cackled. He turned into a hummingbird and flitted away.

TTTTTTTTTT

This time the Titans and their three initiates were gathered in the hardwood gym of Titans Tower. Half of floor of the basketball court was open to reveal the pool in which Aquagirl spent much of her time.

"This test is similiar to Encore's with Starfire." Robin was saying to Aquagirl. "Raven will be your opponent. Your goal is to hit her with water; ever a single drop will do."

"So all I have to do is make Raven wet?" Aquagirl asked.

"That's right."

Aquagirl opened her mouth to reply to that, but Encore pinched her arm. "Ow, cowpoke! What was that for?" She demanded.

"Just making sure you stay classy." The cowboy drawled. "Good luck."

Encore, Indigo and the Titans backed away to give Aquagirl and Raven room. Aquagirl summoned up a stream of water from the pool and shot it at Raven. A black shield of telekinesis appeared, deflecting the stream and leaving Raven completely dry.

Aquagirl's face hardered in determination. She gestured with both hands and made a veritble column of water. She tossed it as Raven like a giant battering ram. This time Raven's telekinesis was not a shield, but a funnel. It caught the rush of water, turned in the shape of a 'U' and spit it back out at Aquagirl. Aquagirl's feet were flushed out from under her and she feel on her backside with a splash.

"That's not funny, Raven!" She shook her fist.

Raven smirked at her and said nothing.

Aquagirl stood up, growled deep in her gut and summoned up water again. She sweat and the entire pool of water was lifted into the air. The mass of water seperated into eight snake-like fjords and slammed down at Raven all at once.

TTTTTTTTTT

Starfire zipped through the air around Titans Tower, her red hair streaming behind her like a banner. Encore flew after her no more than ten yards behind. That gap was quickly growing, however. The alien girl was just faster than him. Whether it was because she was simply a stronger flyer or because she did so without fear, Encore didn't know. He just knew there was no way he was going to win the contest if he let it become a straight up race.

Starfire swooped down without warning and divebombed. She leveled just before she reached the ocean and white froth licked at her undercarriage. Encore followed. A huge waved towered up above them and they flew through the arcing funnel as if they were surfing on air.

An idea as desperate as it was stupid popped into Encore's brain. He sang before he could change his mind and his voice was lost in the wet, whooshing air. The wave was infused with electricity. It spiderwebbed through the wave funnel and flowed into both Starfire and Encore. Their muscles tensed and froze. They skipped across the water and the wave crashed down on them.

Starfire's tougher alien physiology recovered first. She surfaced and treaded water, sucking in breath and whipping back her wealth of wet hair. Encore's human physiology was much more frail.

"Encore?" Starfire said. "Encore?" She looked around frantically, but the cowboy was nowhere to be found. She saw air bubbles breaking the surface of the blue-green salt water not far away and dove down. A moment later she flew up out of the water holding Encore beneath his arms.

She carried him to the beach and laid him down on the sand beyond the reach of the lapping waves. His body was limp and his skin was pale. Starfire put her palm on his chest and pushed. She paused and pushed again and again. Encore's face suddenly came to life and he coughed up water.

"Encore!" Starfire hovered over him. "Are you hurt?"

Encore's chest heaved and he shook his head weakly. He reached up and fondly patted her cheek.

"Tag." He said hoarsely. "You're it."

TTTTTTTTTT

A green kangaroo leaned back on his tail and kicked out with both flat feet. Indigo was catapulted across the advanced training room and crashed into the far wall. She slumped to the floor. A pair of laser turrets emerged from the floor, swiveled around and fired at her. Indigo rolled forward through the laser fire and stretched her arms to touch both of them. Her alchemic powers fused the turrets to her arms.

Beast Boy's pointy ears drooped. "Aw, poopie." He said meekly.

Indigo opened fire on him. Beast Boy sprinted to the side as red lasers burned and whizzed by him. He cartwheeled as an orangutan, slithered across the ground as a snake, scampered as a ferret and flapped away as a bat. He tried to fly at Indigo, but the laser fire was too concentrated. He landed as a stegosaurus and the laser shots bounced off his sturdy, overlapping scales. He whipped his barbed tail at Indigo. The tail skewered her turret arms and caused them to overload and explode. Indigo ragdolled in a shower of sparks and smoke. She was lost inside the visual chaos.

"Indigo?" Beast Boy said. He turned into a vulture, waved away the smoke with his large wings and returned to his humanoid form. "Hello? Indigo?"

The blue android was nowhere to be seen. Beast Boy walked around in a slow circle, but he didn't see her anywhere. All he saw was the blue circuitry of the walls. He looked up at the window of the observation deck and shrugged out his arms. The circuitry of the wall behind him shifted slightly and a pair of pink eyes opened.

Indigo, her body nearly completely flat, pried herself off of the wall. Her body no longer emulated the circuitry and returned to its normal blue. She leaped on Beast Boy's back and her arms and legs wrapped and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped around him as they had when she had attacked him at the metahuman tournament. Beast Boy instinctively tried to struggle, but he only succeeded in losing his balance and toppling over.

"Okay, okay!" He wheezed. "You win!"

TTTTTTTTTT

A giant mass of rushing water - in the form of eight streaking arrows - crashed down on Raven. Raven held up her hands and conjured a black telekinesis dome to cover her. The shield held, but deep, white-gray cracks appeared in it. The shield trembled and then fell apart around her.

It was Aquagirl's turn to smirk. She turned the water into dozens and dozens of basketball-sized spheres. She waved her hand and a pair of them streaked at Raven. Raven leaped backwards and the two spheres splashed at her feet. She levitated away and more of the spheres chased after her. They came at her from all sides, splashing around her. She was forced out of the air and she ran across the gym floor.

Raven stopped, pivoted, ran, changed directions, dove forward and rolled to her booted feet. She ran up a set of bleachers. One of the water spheres surprised her and crashed right in front of her. She removed her cloak and used it as a shield from the resulting splash. She turned, ran down the length of the bleachers and leaped off the end as several of the water spheres splashed at her heels. She landed in a crouch and tumbled to the side to avoid two more. She tensed her legs to run forward, but Aquagirl was suddenly in front of her.

Raven fell into a defensive pose and covered her hands with black magical energy, ready for anything. Aquagirl, however, made no move to attack. She grinned smugly and pointed at Raven's face. Raven curiously brought a hand to her forehead and, when she pulled it back, it was wet with sweat. She smiled at her friend.

"Clever girl." She said.

TTTTTTTTTT

The tests were complete. The Teen Titans had come together in the main room of Titans Tower while their three initiates waited anxiously outside.

"So, everyone is agreed, then?" Raven was saying. "All three of them passed?"

Everyone nodded, but Robin hesitated. "I'm not sure about Encore." He said.

"I do not understand." Starfire said. "He fulfilled the requirement of his test."

"And nearly killed himself doing it." Robin pointed out. "That was an insane move, Starfire. I don't know what else to call it."

"He knew Starfire would save him, though." Cyborg said.

"Only if she found him before he sank far enough to be out of sight." Raven said. "Robin is right. That stunt could have spelled the end for him."

"You could say that about half the things we do." Cyborg said. "Especially you, Robin. I remember this one time when we chasing Johnny Rancid and you-"

"Okay," Robin conceded. "You're right. Beast Boy, bring them in."

Indigo, Aquagirl and Encore came in and lined up in front of their mentors. Beast Boy paced in front of them with his hands sternly clasped behind his back. He stopped in front of Aquagirl and leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Pst, pst, I'm looking forward to the Garden Festival." He said.

"Is that some kind of euphemism?" Aquagirl asked, but Beast Boy had already moved on to Indigo. He stood up on his toes in front of her.

"Pst, pst, try to control your emotions a little." He said to her. Indigo looked at him dispassionately.

Beast Boy whispered to Encore last. "Finally, a gunblade speciali-whooack!" Cyborg plucked him up by the back of his uniform.

"Stop making dated references, little man!" He said.

"You mean _awesome_ dated references!"

"Whatever."

Robin walked to the forefront and looked at the three initiates. "You've all worked hard this last week and performed well in your tests today. You've proven yourselves to be valuable allies...and better friends." He handed each of them a yellow and black communicator marked with the 'T' logo. "Indigo, Aquagirl, Encore...welcome to the Teen Titans." He said it proudly.

Behind him, the rest of the Titans broke into applause.


	58. Oct 15: One Week Later II

_"How is all of this going to end for us?" - Encore_

_**October 15th**_

_**Late Morning**_

_**One Week Later II**_

The battle in the Tech District between the Undergrounders and the Teen Titans has thus far been fought to a standstill. Most of the Sladebots had been destroyed, however, and the tide of battle was firmly behind the Titans. Without the Sladebots to even the odds, it had quickly become an unfair fight of three versus eight.

A gas tank from a car had exploded in Artemis' face and temporarily flung her from the fight. Her costume was singed and frayed at the edges. She leaned back on her palms and took stock of the situation through her pointed eyemask. Robin, Starfire and Indigo were quickly recovering and regrouping at the base of the building she had thrown Starfire into. Further down the street, the remaining Titans were fighting Paingirl and Lostgirl and moving into position to surround them. Artemis saw the fight was quickly turning sour and also knew that it was no longer neccesary. The Sladebots had already spirited away the stolen tech.

Artemis stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Undergrounders, retreat!" She shouted the order. She clicked off a flash grenade from her belt and threw it at the feet of Robin, Starfire and Indigo.

"Look out!" Robin said. He moved to cover his face with his cape, but he was a split second too late. He and Starfire were left blinded by the intense bright light. Indigo's vision - because of her electronic eyes - was left unaffected. She charged forward at Artemis and elongated her upper body to get there long before her legs could. She struck at Artemis with her fists, twisting around her in a disorienting spiral. Artemis blocked and dodged her strikes. She rolled underneath Indigo's contorted torso and flung her bow at her feet, still running several yards away. Indigo was tripped and, like a kite with no wind, it started a chain reaction and she deflated to the ground. Artemis snatched up her bow and ran.

On the other side of the fight, Paingirl's scars glowed a bright blue. She caught the charging green elephant that was Beast Boy and threw him like a cannonball at the others. The Titans scattered and, the moment Beast Boy reverted to his humanoid form, Lostgirl trapped each of them in a box of pure transparent force. Paingirl leaped onto the blue mental disc her sister hovered on and the two of them flew away.

Cyborg, Aquagirl and Beast Boy - the latter in the form of a gorilla - beat against their blue prisons. The force fields quickly cracked without Lostgirl there to maintain them and ultimately shattered. Encore and Raven, unable to bring the same force to bear in such a confined space, had to wait to be rescued. Cyborg and Beast Boy freed Raven while Aquagirl saw to Encore. Robin, Starfire and Indigo ran up to join them.

"Encore, Aquagirl!" Robin said. "Go after Artemis! The rest of us are going after Paingirl and Lostgirl! Titans, go!"

Aquagirl leaped on an airborne surfboard made of water and Encore was picked up by a curtain of air. They flew off side by side just above the street while the other Titans took off in the opposite direction.

Aquagirl and Encore quickly caught up with Artemis who had turned down the next block. While the archer was no speedster, her nanotech-enhanced muscles made her faster than the average person. She peeked over her shoulder, saw she was being followed and readied her bow. She shot her corded arrow onto the roof of a nearby building and ziplined up.

She landed gracefully and paused briefly to catch her breath. She whirled around in shock when she saw Encore had flown up after her. She ran to the far ledge, but she dug in her heels when Aquagirl surfed up to cut her off. Artemis swerved and leaped off the third edge of the building onto an adjoining roof. Though Artemis was fast, she couldn't outrun Encore and Aquagirl's flight. She slid to a stop and turned to face her pursuers now that she had more open ground to work with.

Aquagirl didn't hesitate. She flew in while Encore hung back. She hopped off her board at the last second and flung the mass of water at Artemis. The water broke into baseball-sized gobbets. Artemis jumped, split her legs, arched her back and twisted into a spin to avoid each of them. Aquagirl tackled her before she could regain her balance and the two of them rolled grappling across the roof. Artemis kicked her off and vaulted up to her feet. Aquagirl spiraled at her with a pair of water katanas. She slashed and stabbed at her while Artemis expertly ducked and dodged. Artemis jumped over a swipe aimed at her ankles. She dropkicked Aquagirl, backflipped and landed in a lithe crouch.

Aquagirl tumbled to her rear and gave Encore an exasperated look. "You can jump in any time now, cowpoke!" She said drily.

Encore's eyes met Artemis'. He hesitated and stood there flat-footed. Artemis made no move to attack. Out of the corner of his eye, Encore spied Aquagirl looking at him expectantly. He took in a deep breath and reluctantly began to hum. Fire danced around his hands and engulfed them, growing brighter and brighter. There was no doubt to what he was about to do.

"Good idea." Aquagirl said. "Let's blast this broad!" She pulled back the water she had used and gathered it at her fingertips.

A stream of fire and water shot out and converged on Artemis. Artemis leaped clear and the two elements exploded against each other into a hissing cloud of white steam. Artemis became a shadowy silouette and then disapeared inside it altogether.

"Aw, crap." Aquagirl said. She stepped forward and tried to look inside the cloud.

"Aquagirl-" Encore tried to warn her, but he was too late.

Artemis streaked out of the steam and whacked her hard across the face with her bow. Aquagirl went down in a boneless heap. Artemis sprinted by Encore and the two of them exchanged a look. She vaulted over the roof's ledge and dropped down to the alley below.

Encore looked at Aquagirl. He bit his lip and turned away from her. He looked over the ledge, pushed down his gut reaction of fear and wooziness and saw his former partner jogging away. Encore kept up with her for two roofs and then glided down on wind. Artemis looked over her shoulder at him and quickened her pace.

"Artemis, wait!" He shouted as he landed. She continued to run. "Kelly!"

That got through to her. Artemis stomped to a stop and turned around. She looked searchingly behind Encore, but neither Aquagirl or the other Titans were in pursuit. "You want to chat _now_?" She said.

"I don't know when we'll get another chance." Encore said.

"We should have a few minutes." Artemis said. "I cracked your girlfriend pretty good."

"It's not like that."

"She already has a pet name for you and everything." Artemis went on.

"Aquagirl is not my-" Encore was interrupted by a long, fierce kiss. Artemis withdrew just enough to smile at him.

"I know. I'm just messing with you, Jonny. You're cute when you're flustered." Artemis teased him. "Besides, you could never fall for a girl who still uses the word 'broad'."

Encore let out a laugh that was as joyous as it was helpless. "I've missed you, Kelly." He said it straight from the heart.

"I miss you, too."

"How is all of this going to end for us?" Encore asked her.

"I don't know yet." Artemis said. "But I can't let myself get caught. If Slade thinks I'm no longer useful he'll activate the nanoprobes inside me and-"

"I know." Encore said it quickly. He didn't want to hear her say it.

"Jonny, I-"

"Encore!" Aquagirl shouted as she ran up from behind. "What happened?"

Encore turned back and found Artemis hiding behind a dumpster. She was perfectly visible to him, but she was hidden from Aquagirl's line of sight. Encore reluctantly left her there and ran up to Aquagirl before she could get too close.

"She got away." He told her.

A look of irritation crossed Aquagirl's face. "She's lucky." She declared. "I still owe her one for that cheap shot she got on me." She punched her palm suggestively.

"Maybe next time." Encore murmured.

"_Definetly_ next time. Now make me some water and we'll go back to the others. Maybe they need help rounding up the other two."

"Right," Encore said quietly. He chanced one last look at the dumpster behind him and began to hum. He conjured water out of thin air and Aquagirl used it to create another surfboard. Just stepped on top of it and flew away. Encore moved to follow, but a crinkling sound beneath his poncho made him stop. He reached beneath it and found a folded piece of paper stuck in his belt. He pulled it out and opened it up.

It was another of Kelly's drawing and he was immediately reminded of just how talented she was. It was a black and white penciled drawing of Encore locked in battle with Artemis. Looks of furious hate painted both of their faces. Above them, however, was the hazy image of Jonny and Kelly sharing a passionate kiss.

Encore smiled a bittersweet smile and flew up to join Aquagirl.


	59. Oct 15: Obligatory Bankwait

_"Jeez, lady! How many guns do you have?" - Spoiler_

_**October 15th**_

_**Afternoon**_

_**Obligatory Bank-Wait**_

_I wasn't always a thief. I actually started out my masked career as a hero._

_Yeah, how lame is that?_

_My dad sewed up a costume and became a super-villain called The Cluemaster. My lameness must be genetic._

_He's the whole reason I donned the hood and cloak to begin with. I had to stop him from doing something even stupider than naming himself that. At least he won't get himself killed locked up in Blackgate._

_Then I met a stupidly charming boy in a skull mask named Red-X. He was better at names than my dad, if nothing else, and certainly a better thief. I chased him for weeks and when I caught him I didn't want to let him go. I became his partner in crime and we incorporated the tech of his suit into my own._

_Couples that steal together stay together?_

_I really am lame._

It was early afternoon when Spoiler and Red-X crouched together on a nearby rooftop to overlook one of the many banks in Uptown Jump City.

"It feels weird being out in sunlight." Red-X said electronically through his helmet.

"Everything about this feels weird." Spoiler said. "Is this the right place?"

"This is the address Ms. Gemini gave us. It should be starting soon." Red-X told her.

Spoiler frowned beneath her hood and fidgeted on the ledge. "What are we doing here, Tim? Why are we dancing to Gemini's tune?"

"Because the DJ has zenothium; lots and lots of zenothium." Red-X said. "It's getting harder and harder to find, you know that. Gemini is out best source right now."

"I thought you didn't like to play the hero."

"Doesn't mean I don't know how." Red-X paused. "Make no mistake, babe, we're no heroes. I'm not sure why Gemini went through so much trouble to put together this team, but it's not because she's altruistic. She's up to something."

"What do you think it is?" Spoiler asked.

"I don't know. And as long as the zenothium keeps flowing, I don't care." He shook his head. "'Team Gemini'. I can't believe how egotistical that is."

"You're one to talk." Spoiler said with a grin in her voice. "It could be worse. We could be Infinity Inc."

The aqua-colored communicators on their belts ringed out simultaneously. "That's out cue." Red-X said. "Time to play."

Both of them disappeared in a shimmer of cloaking technology.

Inside the bank was a masked man and woman with automatic laser rifles. They wore leather and studs and looked like bikers straight from hell. They paced back and forth and kept an eye on the three tellers that huddled fearfully in the corner. Around them were a dozen collared wildebeests emptying the vault and stuffing money into bags.

Red energy seared into the thick wall of the bank. It glowed in a perfect circle and the round section of thick stone fell inward and cracked against the floor. Floating beyond the new hole was Seraph, her eyes still glowing red. Beside her, in the form of Terra, Rorrim levitated atop a section of rock. Fear and Loathing opened fire on them. Rorrim hid behind her rock and Seraph simply floated with her arms crossed as the lasers richocheted off of her impervious half-Kryptonian, half-human body.

Afreet, holding his brother Druj's hand, teleported into the bank. Druj dropped to the floor, stomped forward and slashed his giant sword at the two gun wielders. Fear and Loathing stopped their laser assault on Seraph and Rorrim. They dodged Druj's sword and leaped back in opposite directions.

"Yo, cows!" Fear - the man - said. "Need a little help here!"

The wildebeests dropped their money bags and advanced to join the fray.

In the corner, Red-X and Spoiler materialized with a flicker next to the three hostages.

"C'mon," Red-X said to them. "We're, you know, here to get you out of here and stuff." He and Spoiler led them to the hole Seraph had made. Loathing saw the move and aimed her laser rifle at them. Spoiler chucked her chakram at her and cleaved through the barrel of the gun just as Loathing pulled the trigger. The energy discharge recoiled and the weapon exploded in her hands.

With the inclusion of the wildebeests the bank had become a full-out brawl. Rorrim blurred forward in the form of Black Eyes and acrobatically dodged several heavy swipes. She ducked under another, spun beneath the wildebeest's guard and reached out to lightly touch his face. She absorbed his DNA. She sprang up into a perfect copy of the beast and headbutted it with her new horns.

Afreet flipped and spun and teleported in nauseating fashion as the tails of his blindfold fluttered behind him. He landed on the shoulders of a wildebeest, teleported away when it tried to grab him and dropkicked him in the face with both feet. He backflipped and landed in a slide only for another to grab him up in a bear hug from behind. He teleported away just as Druj walloped him with the flat edge of his sword. Druj spun and held up his sword to deflect laser shots from Fear.

Seraph uppercutted one of the wildebeests and flew up as if he were shot from a cannon. He smashed through the roof and, a moment later, he smashed back down through it like a falling meteor. Seraph strafe-flew to the side to avoid the horned charge of another wildebeest. She puckered her lips and used her ice breath to incase one of the long lights that hung from the ceiling with ice. The wires that held it couldn't support the heavy weight and it fell, taking out three more wildebeests.

Red-X and Spoiler had seen the hostages to safety and now came back in to join the fight. Red-X went after Fear while Spoiler fought Loathing. Spoiler rushed the female gunner and cartwheeled and tumbled through the hail of laserfire to get in close. She ducked when Loathing tried to clobber her with the butt of her rifle. She backflipped into a double kick and when she landed she had seperated her chakram into two hand-blades. She slashed apart the second rifle and then kicked away the pistol Loathing pulled from her belt.

"Jeez, lady! How many guns do you have?" Spoiler said.

Loathing opened her mouth to reply only to catch a left cross.

"Sorry. Rhetorical question. Didn't mean to say that outloud. It's a vice I have."

_This is so weird. It feels right and it feels wrong at the same time. Does that even make sense? Even as I fight, I can see the security cameras all around us. Call it the habit of a thief, but I can't help but tell there's way too many. They're capturing everything from all angles. Most of them are hidden from sight, but I've made a career out of noticing things like that. They're new, too. It's obvious somebody wants to see everything that's happening right now._

_And who can blame them, am I right?_

_If I heard them right when Tim and I sneaked in, these guys call themselves Fear and Loathing. Yeah, totally emo. (Hey, wasn't one of the guys at the tournament called Fear, too? Whatever.) I know thieves and these guys don't fit the bill. They're just thugs with more ammunition than brains. No finesse whatsoever. Even with their bovine backup (Hee, alliteration.) they're no match for us. I don't know what Gemini has planned for us, but I know one thing:_

_This is just a warm-up._

TTTTTTTTTT

The bank robbery had been foiled. Fear and Loathing and the wildebeests had been tied up and handed over to the cops, the money was recovered and the hostages were safe. Team Gemini - Seraph, Rorrim, Druj, Afreet, Red-X and Spoiler - stood side by side on the roof of the bank in full view of the gathering crowd of media below. Video cameramen recorded them and photographers flashed pictures and reporters shouted up questions at them.

"Who are you?"

"Are you affiliated with the Teen Titans?"

"Or the JCPD?"

"What happened here?"

"What are those mutant things you fought?"

Spoiler fidgeted up above and leaned in to whisper to Red-X. "Okay, this is _really, really_ weird."

"Ms. Gemini just wants to show off her new toys." Red-X said. "Speaking of-" He pointed subtlely.

Maryse Gemini, in her customary aqua-colored overcoat and business skirt - made her way through the crowd of media. Two shaded men in sharp suits did the pushing for her. "Please, let us be civil!" She raised her hands and raised her voice to be heard. "I will be happy to answer any questions you may have!"

Bethany Snow, the quick rising reporter for TBEP News, was the first to thrust her microphone into Maryse's face. "Maryse Gemini! Owner and CEO of Gemini Industries! Can you tell us what you're doing here?"

Maryse smiled at the dozens of cameras suddenly focused on her. "I'm here to congratulate my team on a job well done, of course." She said.

"Your team?"

"That's right." Maryse said. "I have the proud honor to introduce you all to Jump City's newest superheroes: Team Gemini!"

"Jump City already has superheroes." Ms. Snow pointed out. "The Teen Titans."

"Of course," Maryse replied. "And I - as I'm sure are of Jump's citizens are - am thankful for their hardwork and dedication. But let us be frank. As talented as they are; as selfless as they are; they are inexperienced, unsupervised children vigilantes. They have been remarkably lucky thus far to avoid any irreversible mishaps. But what happens when they inevitably do? Who will be held accountable? Who is forced to pay for the substantial damage that seems to occur during each of their crime stops and battles?"

"This is Team Gemini." She went on. "They share my name and wear the logo of my company. If anyone has a proble with them, they can come see me. I will pay for any and all damages that may happen during their altruistic pursuits. Team Gemini will not hide from the public. They will be available for interviews and public appearances. How can you trust someone with the safety of the city if you don't know them?"

There was a bustle at the tailend of the crowd and a foul string of cursing. Commissioner Walker manfully pushed his way through. "All right, all right, that's enough grandstanding!" He shouted. "This is a crime scene, not a photoshoot!"

"Of course," Maryse purred. "You're used to the Titans leaving and giving you plenty of time to clean up their mess and take whatever credit there is to be found."

Commissioner Walker's eyes bulged dangerously. "What did you say!" He demanded.

"Nothing," Maryse said demurely. She looked at the reporters around her. "I'm afraid we'll have to continue this conversation at another time. Until then, I bid you adieu."

_So that's it, then. Ms. Gemini wants us to be her own personal Teen Titans and to run the originals out of town. I should have known it was something silly like that. Why? Who knows? I've never understood rich people._

_I feel like a stringed marionette and Ms. Gemini is the puppetmaster. I don't like playing by anyone else's rules. I never thought Tim would ever go along with something like this. He was always his own man; he refused to be controlled by anyone else. It's what attracted me to him in the first place._

_But now I can't help but feel we've sold out. I always knew Tim was selfish - so am I - but now his greed has eclipsed his stubborn independence._

_Is zenothium really worth that much?_

It was later that afternoon when Spoiler and Red-X returned to the Gemini Building. Ms. Gemini had given them a large, richly furnished room on the same floor with the rooms given over to their new teammates. The windows were large and wide and sunlight streamed in. There were a pair of bedrooms, a kitchen, a training area and a living room with deep, soft couches and chairs. Spoiler took off her hood, shook loose her long blonde hair and sank down on the couch. She picked up the remote control and flipped on the television. Red-X clicked off his helmet and stood behind her.

_"-bank robbery foiled by a new superhero group known as Team Gemini."_ Bethany Snow's voice was reporting. _"The criminals were apprehended and the hostages unhurt. The bank suffered considerable damage, but Maryse Gemini has vowed to reinburse it. We recently collected footage from the surveillance cameras inside and Ms. Gemini was gracious enough to introduce us to each member of this new team."_

The screen switched to high-definition colored footage of inside the bank. They showed Spoiler and Red-X fighting Fear and Loathing. They freeze framed as they leaped up in unison and descended with flying kicks.

_"This is Red-X and Spoiler,"_ Maryse's voice said. _"Kung-fu masters enhanced by the best technology Gemini Industries has to offer."_

Spoiler frowned at the television. "Since when did our suits have Geminitech?" She wanted to know.

"We might have stolen some repair chips from her." Red-X shrugged.

Rorrim - in the form of Terra - appeared on the screen. Her eye glowed yellow and a column of earth slammed into one of the wildebeests.

_"No, this is not the Teen Titan that drove the city to the brink of destruction, but the shapeshifter Rorrim with the power to change into anyone she touches."_

They showed the clip of Rorrim changing into a wildebeest and froze the picture as she headbutted her copy away.

The next clip was of Druj and Afreet. Afreet teleported several times, ping-ponging between wildebeests with high flashing kicks. Druj ran in behind him, batting cleanup with the flat edge of his blade. Druj paused and held his sword up at eye level and the footage paused when Afreet materialized to stand on top of it.

_"This is the master swordsman Druj and the teleporting Afreet, brothers that have come to us all us all the way from the Middle East and endowed with powers by the mystical nature of their family's lineage."_

The last clip was of Seraph. It showed her flying through the bank with her aqua-blue cape flowing behind her. She caught the bull-like charge of a wildebeest, tossed him into a group of others and then the clip stopped when she spun and arced her fist at another.

_"And this,"_ Maryse's voice rang with pride. _"Is my daughter Seraph, the leader of Team Gemini. I have no doubt that her strength and resolve will lead not just Jump City, but the entire world into a better age."_

_"And there you have it." _The newscast flashed back to Bethany Snow. _"When asked for further comment, Ms. Gemini-"_

Spoiler clicked off the television. Red-X came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

"C'mon, Steph." He said. "Let's celebrate a job well done."

Spoiler looked at her own concerned expression in the reflection of the dark television. "Something gives me the feeling that what we did today is nothing to celebrate." She let it simmer another moment, but then she pushed it away. She looked up at Red-X and smiled. "But since when did we need an excuse to have fun?"

Red-X smiled back at her.

_So that's our lives now: Superheroes for hire._

_It could be worse, I guess. I shouldn't worry. _

_As long as Tim is with me, life will always be fun._

_What else matters?_


	60. Oct 15: Enter Crystal

_"Do you want to boss me around, too?" - Jonathon_

_**October 15th**_

_**Early Evening**_

_**Enter Crystal**_

After his fight with Kelly, Encore didn't return to the tower with the other Titans. He instead went down to the abandoned subway tunnels beneath Jump City. He knew that hidden somewhere down in the vast, dark network of intersecting tunnels was the base of the Undergrounders. He quickly found the original lair from when he had been an Undergrounder himself, but not it was just an empty, cavernous substation. Slade was the careful sort. Because of the subway trains he could constantly move the base. They would be impossible to find.

That didn't stop Encore from trying. He hadn't forgot Paingirl and Lostgirl - he still felt guilty for unwittingly placing them into Slade's bondage - but at that moment Kelly was first and foremost in his thoughts. The drawing she had planted on him was stored safely away beneath his poncho, but he could still see it clearly in his mind's eye. Encore and Artemis were fighting with a show of hatred on their faces while, above them in the ghostly haze, was the image of Jonny and Kelly sharing a kiss. Encore couldn't help but feel like he and Kelly were locked into some kind of modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Encore instantly disliked that idea.

Encore didn't know much about the story, but he did know one thing: Juliet died at the end.

Encore didn't know what he was doing. Even if by some miracle he _did_ find the Undergrounders' base, what then? He knew he couldn't take on Slade one on one - the past had taught him that - and that was before accounting for the rest of the group and whatever Sladebots happened to be around. Kelly would be unable to help him for fear of Slade activating the nanoprobes inside her. What would start as a rescue would quickly turn into a slaughter. Perhaps, if he did find it, he could call in the other Titans, though that presented problems of its own. How would he explain how he knew to look in the subway system to begin with?

The cowboy sighed and continued his trek. He held a fireball over his head to push back the inky darkness. The unsteady flickering it gave off somehow made the blackness around him feel alive. Though he didn't personally see them, the skittering of rats could be heard and, from somewhere far away, there was the dripdripdripping of water splashing lethargically.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" A woman's voice said from behind him.

Encore whirled around. He brightened the fireball and held it up higher. Out of the darkness stepped a lithe, confident woman in a blue and yellow bodysuit and half-mask. A wealth of white hair fell down her back and a silver rapier glimmered in the light on her hip.

Encore ripped the laser pistol from the holster on his own hip and pointed it at her with his free hand. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The woman was unperturbed. "I'm the Ravager." She said. The red slits of her mask glanced at Encore's gun. "Is that really neccesary? If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

Encore realized that was most likely true. He reholstered his pistol, though he did make a point of keeping his hand on it.

"You're trained better than this." Ravager went on. "You never once looked behind you. That's foolish and I know you're not a fool. You're much too trusting. That's what got you in this mess to begin with."

Encore squinted suspiciously at her from behind his shades. "I like to give folks the benefit of the doubt." He said it slowly. "The name's Encore, by the way."

"That's too bad." Ravager said. "Personally, I liked 'Maverick' better."

Encore breathed in sharply. "How do you-"

"I've been following your ever since you attack on the Gemini Building." Ravager told him. "Don't worry: I have no interest in exposing your secret. It's just Slade I'm after. I thought maybe you would lead me to him, but you have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"I'm afraid not. What do you want with Slade?" Encore asked.

"I want to kill him." Ravager suggestively put her hand on the hilt of her rapier to drive the point home.

Encore frowned at her. "You know I can't let you do that." He said.

"Why? Because of some ambigious moral code of being a hero? Face it, Encore: A dead Slade would solve all your problems, wouldn't it?" Ravager said.

Encore hesitated at that, but then he shook his head. "That don't make it right."

Ravager saw no need to argue and shrugged. She reached into a pouch on her belt and handed him a cell phone.

"What's this for?" Encore asked.

"If you find Slade before I do, you can use this to contact me." Ravager said. "I have allies that feel the same way I do. Trust me, you'll need our help."

Encore nodded slowly. He looked at the stranger before him; so confident and cool yet so angry and vindictive just below the surface. He could already see her hatred of Slade shaped her every thought. It seemed like such a sad way to live.

"What's your name?" He asked her quietly.

"I already told you."

"No, I mean your real name."

Ravager put a hand on her hip. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you that?"

"Telling me your first name ain't going to give away your identity." Encore pointed out. "My name's Jonny. Now it's your turn."

Ravager was silent. For a moment Encore thought she wouldn't say anything at all, but then she finally answered. "Rose," she said. "My name is Rose."

"That's a pretty name, Rose."

The exposed part of Ravager's face hardened. "My father named me." She said from between grit teeth. "It's not pretty. Good luck with your hunt." She turned and walked away until the darkness at the edge of Encore's light swallowed her up.

TTTTTTTTTT

Crystal had been in Jump City for a week now and she had been unable to find Jonny. The new device she had created was helping, but it wasn't quite enough. What had once been her laptop computer had been converted into a CPU bracer attached to her wrist and a headset with a microphone and an LCD screen situated over her left eye. With it she was able to hack into any nearby computer networks and sipher through its information. She called it a MPC: Mobile Personal Computer. It helped her track down the phone booth Jonny had used to call home and the internet cafe where he sent her an email. She asked everyone around if they had seen him and showed a photo of him, but she had no luck. Some told her they had seen him with a dark-skinned girl, but no one could tell her where they had gone. Crystal had plenty of brains and tech savvy, but she was no investigator. She decided it might be time to find some professional help.

The bell rang out over the front door of the lobby of the Hunter Detective Agency. Crystal held open the door with one hand and pushed in a stroller carrying a sleeping Melody with the other. She winced at the sound of the bell and peeked under the hood of the stroller, but the baby was still asleep. She looked up and saw Jonathon - Holly's timid assistant - sitting behind a desk. His face was creased with concentration as he scribbled in a notebook between picking up heavy textbooks and poring through them. So engrossed he was in his work he hadn't heard Crystal come in. She quietly walked over and peeked over his shoulder.

"I think your theory would make more sense if you explained that the third variable could be both _x_ or _y_." She told him.

Jonathon jumped at the sound of her voice, but then her words sank in. "No," he said. "That would only make sense if-" He stopped and his eyes grew wide. "W-wow! That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? I'm going to get an A for sure now!"

Crystal smiled at him modestly. "I'm glad I could help. Is the investigator in?"

Jonathon, still preoccupied by the new idea planted in his brain, answered without thinking. "No, Ms. Hunter is out getting her nails done-ack!" He gulped when he realized what he said. "I mean - no! - she's, uh, tracking down a lead on a case! An _important_ case!" He deflated when Crystal's amused look told him she didn't believe him for a second. "That's what I was supposed to tell you, at least." He sighed.

"I'll be sure to tell her that." Crystal said. "Will she be back soon?"

"She should be." Jonathon nodded. "You can wait up in her office if you want."

Crystal looked at the staircase and then at the stroller Melody was in. "Do you mind if I leave the baby with you?" She asked.

"Hm? Baby?" Jonathon looked at the stroller for the first time. "Oh, r-right. Well..."

"She's asleep." Crystal said. "She won't be a bother. Just call me if she wakes up!" She bounded up the stairs before he could object.

Jonathon sighed again and looked at the baby. "Do you want to boss me around, too?" He asked.

Melody answered by letting out a tired sigh and putting her thumb in her mouth.

Holly's office was much like any Crystal had seen in film noir detective flicks, only messier and more contemporary. There was a toy basketball hoop over a plastic trashcan filled with crumpled paper, some file cabinets along the walls and a desk set up in front of the windows. On the desk was a laptop computer, still half open. Crystal looked at it speculatively and then looked around quickly to make sure the coast was clear. Then she typed into the wrist keypad of her MPC and hacked into it. The LCD screen on her face lit up and her left eye twitched as she took in the information.

Crystal realized right off that something was off about the internet connection. She peeked under the desk at the connection wires and saw the problem. She stood back up and explored the computer's contents. There were several useful - and illegal - search and information programs that Crystal copied and downloaded to her MPC. One such program was a digital database for official government files. Crystal opened a search prompt and typed in 'Jonny Johnson'. There was thankfully nothing recent - no arrest records or death certificates - only a copy of his adoption papers. Most of it seemed in order, but a few lines jumped out at her.

_Adopters: Roy and Marie Johnson_

_New Name: Jonny Johnson_

_Original Name: Laurent Maubbison_

_Biological Father: Unknown_

_Biological Mother: Mortuana Maubbison_

The name 'Mortuana Maubbison' was linked and, when Crystal clicked on it, an address and contact information popped up. A note said it was updated twelve years ago. Crystal frowned thoughtfully. That was certainly interesting, but it was for another time. That wouldn't help her find her brother now.

She clicked off her MPC and looked over the desk instead. She picked up a file that had been left out and leafed through it. The heading read 'Tournament Suspects' and it was filled with high-quality pictures of several different people Crystal didn't recognize, most of them masked. She saw pictures of Aquagirl and Rorrim and Thomas Austin and others like Dracon and Spark and Danny Chase. Then she flipped to the next picture and froze.

The photo was of a young man in shades and a cowboy hat. He wore a poncho and had long black hair Crystal knew immediately was fake. She ran her hand over the familiar chinline and the breth of his nose and the shape of his lips.

It was then she heard Holly coming up the steps, but it was too late to hide the fact she was snooping. Crystal was still holding the file when Holly came in and saw her.

"Hey!" Holly said. "What do you think you're doing? This isn't self-serve, you know!"

"This man," Crystal held up the picture to her and pointed at it. "Who is he?"

Holly folded her arms across her chest. "Why should I tell you?" She asked.

"Because I know there's a bug-tap on your internet connection. Answer the question and I'll tell you where all your secrets are going." Crystal said.

"Bull-!"

"Look for yourself."

Holly kept one suspicious eye on Crystal, but she bent over and looked under the desk.

"Damnit!" She cursed. "I thought you were bluffing."

"The guy in the picture." Crystal tapped it. "Who is he?"

"Some gunslinger that goes by the name 'Encore'." Holly said. "He's the newest Teen Titan."

"Encore," Crystal repeated to herself. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

"Your turn now."

"Right." Crystal flipped over the picture, picked up a pen on the desk and jotted down a couple of lines. "This is the address. Thanks for your help." She handed it to Holly and then made her way downstairs.

Holly looked at the address and recognized it right away.

"The Verilli Estate," She growled.

"Nice nails, by the way!" Crystal's voice ghosted up to her.

Holly barely heard her.

TTTTTTTTTT

It wouldn't be easy. Maria knew that. She wouldn't be able to use the supercomputer inside her room at the Verilli Estate. It was monitored constantly. She would have to disconnect her personal laptop from the mainframe, do the deed and connect it again before anyone noticed it missing. She would only have a short amount of time to wirelessly hack into the Titans Tower communication server and send Reba a secret message.

Technology and time was against her. It would be like trying to move a mountain with a spoon. Still, she had to try. The tap on the Hunter Detective Agency internet not only revealed that Reba was Aquagirl, but the fact she was suffering from amnesia. Not only did Maria miss her, but she knew her friend was in danger. If Verilli found out Reba was still alive she would never see him coming.

Maria took in a deep breath. She disconnected from the Verilli mainframe and sent an amplified wireless connection through cyberspace. She typetypetyped in a flurry. A three-dimensional representation of the city grid appeared on her screen. A purple streak that represented her connection blurred across the screen and slammed into the green and black grid of Titans Tower. Instantly dozens of red pixelized padlocks appeared, each one with a smug, anime representation of Cyborg's face. Maria typed even faster, her face creased with concentration. A bead of sweat crept down her face. One by one the padlocks turned green and the Cyborg faces looked at her in open-mouthed shock. Maria broke the last lock and smiled. She hit the enter key and sent her message.

A beat. She squinted at the screen. Her smile disappeared.

"No, no, no, no!" Maria quickly pulled back her connection and rejoined it with the Verilli mainframe. She hadn't hacked into the communications server of Titans Tower.

She had hacked into its defensive systems.

TTTTTTTTTT

Maryse Gemini sat cross-legged on a deep, soft couch and daintily balanced a glass of wine on the tips of her long fingers as she rewatched the TBEP News broadcast special on Team Gemini. She smiled in self-satisfaction and took a sip as the broadcast ended and several talking heads discussed the new team.

_"Ms. Gemini didn't come right out and say it - she's a classy lady - but she's right! The Teen Titans - for as much good as they've done - are just amateur kids. Who supervises them? Commissioner Walker? Are we to go to him for answers when they screw up? WIth Team Gemini, Ms. Gemini is offering up herself as an overseer and a figurehead. It's nice to see vigilantes that actually have to answer to someone!"_

_"Please, Vincent. You talk about 'the good they've done' as if they just rescued a cat from a tree! They've saved the entire city more times than I can count! They have absolutely made the city a better place to live in; a safer place!"_

_"The Titans are at fault for most of these disasters! We were invaded by alien monsters because they were chasing after Starfire! For all we know she is still some kind of alien criminal on the run from celestial law!"_

_"Surely the Green Lanterns-"_

_"Has everyone forgotton the time Robin became a criminal and Slade's apprentice? Why wasn't he prosecuted? And then that dreadful month when the terrorist Slade took over the city was because one of the Titans themselves turned traitor. Who's to say that can't happen again? The terrorist that called himself Brother Blood - no relation with the Church of Blood, of course - used Cyborg's own tech to create a tidal wave that threatened to demolish the whole city. Not to mention the supernatural episode that literally brought hell on earth! And who was responsible for that? The demon father of the Titan Raven! How many times are we going to allow these Titans to endanger us?"_

_"I'm not ready to throw our local heroes under the bus yet! Just today they confronted Slade's new terrorist group - The Undergrounders - during a robbery in the Tech District."_

_"Which they failed to stop! The technology was stolen and the thieves got away! All they accomplished was tearing up a mile of street that will take a year to fix and no telling how much money! At least if it was Team Gemini, Gemini Industries would foot the bill!"_

_"Is this about money now, Vincent? That's a dangerous road to-"_

_"It's about responsibility! The sooner the Teen Titans realize-"_

Maryse's viewing of the show was interrupted by her ringing cell phone. She briefly glanced at it's face and then flicked it open. "What is it Raskov?" She answered it.

_"I've been discreetly monitoring the computer network of Titans Tower ever since the tournament."_ Dr. Pytor Raskov's Russian accent said from the other end of the line. _"In hopes of once again putting the robotic manisfestation of Project 21; Codename: Indigo under my control. I'm afraid she now wears a mobile firewall to prevent such a thing from happening again. Pity."_

"Get to the point, Raskov."

_"Right. Well, it seems someone - someone quite brilliant and much more talented than I in such things - has hacked his or her way into the Titans Tower defensive systems. It's quite strange, though. The moment the connection broke through it severed the contact. There was no time for any mischief, unfortunately. Why would someone break into Fort Knox and not take any gold?"_

"Honestly, I don't care. This is much too good an opportunity to pass up." Maryse said. "Can't you piggyback that connection and gain access to their system yourself?"

_"It's not as simple as that, Ms. Gemini, but its entirely possible I could get access, yes. For a small window of time, of course. The vestiges of the connection won't last forever."_

"We'll make do with what time we have. Ooh, this is just too perfect." Maryse grinned slyly. "Here is what you're going to do..."

TTTTTTTTTT

The newscast was also showing in the main room of Titans Tower. Robin stood brooding before the television while Raven and Aquagirl sat nearby, locked in a game of chess. Aquagirl had greatly improved her play in the last week and, while she had yet to win, she was now able to force Raven to think long and hard about each move. Aquagirl watched the news as her friend pondered.

"Is all of that true?" Aquagirl asked Robin. "I mean about you working for Slade and Raven's dad and the alien invasion and stuff?"

"Technically it is." Robin's voice was flat. "It's also true Lex Luthor is a high-standing businessman who donates millions to charity each year. You would think that a news network broadcasting twenty four hours a day would have time for a little context."

"Context doesn't get ratings." Raven hummed with a shrug. She moved her queen to take Aquagirl's knight.

"You don't sound very worried." Robin said suspiciously. "Maryse Gemini pulls off a single publicity stunt and has the whole city at our throats."

"Those idiots on television don't represent the city." Raven said it without anger or even irritation. "The people are still with us."

"At least we know the purpose of the metahuman tournament now. Gemini was recruiting." Robin said.

In a flash the power suddenly went out and the tower went dark. With none of the electronics in the tower running, the resulting silence was oppressive.

"Raven?" Aquagirl groped in the darkness. "Is that you?"

"Yes, though I would appreciate if you grabbed me a little higher." Raven replied.

"What? Oh! Heh-hehee. Sorry."

The power returned as suddenly as it had left. Robin, Raven and Aquagirl squinted against the comparative brightness.

"Okay," Aquagirl said. "What just happened?"

Before anyone could reply, a siren blared out a shrill note and red emergency lights flashed and strobed throughout the tower.

_"Defensive measures have been activated."_ The feminine, electronic voice of the main computer said. _"Initializing total lockdown and internal purge."_

There was a clanging as if a million pots and pans were being banged together as thick sheets of steel slammed down over every window and exit. Titans Tower stopped being a home and became a prison.

Robin went over to the computer and typed with his gloved hands. He frowned as his masked eyes studied the screen. "It's no good." He reported. "I'm locked out of the system."

"So what now?" Aquagirl asked.

"I wish Cyborg was here." Robin muttered to himself as he thought. He raised his head to address Aquagirl and Raven again. "We're trapped in the tower until we can disable the lockdown. The main power source of the tower comes in through the sublevel. If we can work our way down to the basement it might be possible to turn off the power to circumvent the security. There's a problem, though."

"And that would be...?" Raven asked.

The main doors of the main room were blown in by a hail of laser fire. In the hallway beyond dozens of robots with spider-like legs scurried towards them.

"That," Robin said.

"Oh," Raven and Aquagirl mumbled together.


End file.
